Taming the Beast (Legs, Brooke if necessary, closed)

[Guest]

Things were not going well, not well at all. He was so close, just finish out the year and then be an official wizarding school graduate and he would succeed where his own father had not. But John was having trouble taking it; N.E.W.T. classes were going to be the death of him! He was sure he had just done miserably on a Charms test, one of his better subjects! He couldn’t let his life fall apart like this!

He thought of his father’s face and voice if he didn’t finish this year. The students and staff at this school thought John’s rage could be devastating, the anger of a quarter giant, they knew nothing of rage, as they didn’t know his half giant father. Growing up with him had been a life spent watching over his shoulder and measuring every step trying to stay within the lines. If he was caught doing anything wrong, or if his father just didn’t like the way he did something, he was in for serious discipline. That’s how his father did things.

John stormed down the hall, hands balled into fists being the only external indication of his anger. His face was a stone slab, unemotional, hard, just like his father’s always was. Leather bag swinging at his side, each step was heavy with trouble. Right now all he wanted to do was return to the Malvolio Common Room. He didn’t envy the next person to cross his path in the wrong way. This was one of those days.

[Lauren Elizabeth Gaiman]

Legs was bored. Baggy was doing...teacher-y stuff and she just had her little house elf to watch her. And the house elf was no fun. She just sat there watching her like she was supposed to. She wouldn't play or anything. Legs and her mum had done some fun stuff since she'd been there, but they had also had a talk about the fact that Baggy was in fact working here. So she just had to entertain herself sometimes.

Lauren looked at the door that lead to the hallways. She knew she probably shouldn't wonder around while students are doing...student stuff, but she just had to find someone to talk to. That would be a way for her to entertain herself right? She pulled herself off of her mums bed and quickly made her way to that door. She could feel her pig tails bouncing on her back. She was actually in one of her favorite outfits today. There was no way she was going to waste it by staying inside, just because her mum was busy. Her cute outfits had to be shared with everyone. When she got to the door and pushed it open slightly, she looked back at her house elf and sighed. "Are you coming?" As soon as the little elf followed her to the door, Legs pushed it open the rest of the way, and looked around.

The only person she could see was...well a large person. He didn't look happy either. She frowned again. Why couldn't people just be happy all the time!? "Hey Mister! Hey!" She called out slightly. She smiled widely and half ran, half walked real fast to catch up with him. She knew she couldn't run all out. She'd get into trouble. She'd learned that one of the first days she had been there. As soon as she caught up with him, she looked up again. He was really really tall. "Mister, why are you so tall?" She smiled up at him, trying to be cute. Maybe if she was super cute he'd be happy again. People were usually happy around her anyways. She wrapped one of her curls around her finger and opened her mouth again. "Am I going to be real tall one day? Or are you just someone special?" She tilted her head slightly, and backed up. It hurt her neck to have to look up so much. She put a small hand on her none-existent hip and asked, ""Are you okay Mister? Is something bothering you?"

[Guest]

John was about to speak the password to enter the Malvolio Common Room. All he wanted right now was to go to his quiet room. He needed to get away from everyone and vent his anger through meditation his mother had taught him. Normally he wouldn’t think twice about finding some little punky kid and beating his anger out on them. But his grades were on thin ice as it were, and being a prefect he was held to higher standards. He’d only got to that position by being good at hiding what he did.

Opening his mouth to speak the password, John heard a squeaky little voice down the hall, "Hey Mister! Hey!" And down the hall he saw the smallest girl with a house elf in tow, dirty blonde pigtails bouncing behind her. Where did she come from? She ran up to him staring up at his enormous height. “Mister, why are you so tall?” She smiled at him, but he held his rigid features. Why was she so fixed with him? “Am I going to be real tall one day? Or are you just someone special?”

Special. That was just it, and with those words his heart melted. Trying to keep it inside himself, John was caught, this adorable little girl had completely quelled the rage that had engulfed him previously. He knelt down to put himself on a better level for her, but was still well above her own head. “Well sweetie, my daddy was bigger than I am, because he was part giant. That’s why I’m so big. Maybe if your daddy is big too, you’ll grow up taller than me even. But you don’t need to be tall to be special.”

Then the little ball of sunshine asked whether or not he was okay, she must have taken note before he saw her. “I wasn’t before but now it’s all better since you’re here.” John smiled and tapped her on the nose. What was it about this little girl that made his stony heart beat warmly again? He didn’t even care; he was in a much better mood now. “Now sweetie, what’s your name?”

[Lauren Elizabeth Gaiman]

Lauren smiled widely as the big guy knelt in front of her. He was still super duper tall, but she didn't have to strain her neck so hard to look at him now. She listened to him quietly. When he finished his explanation she looked slightly hopeful. "So just because I'm not going to be super tall, I can still be special?" She knew she was special, but knowing other people thought she was special was fun too. Her mummy told her she was super special all the time. She also said that she got her cuteness and her stubbornness, whatever that meant, from Baggy.

"So since you're tall does that make you part giant too?" She raised her small eyebrows and gazed up at him. She had never met a giant before. She wondered if he knew her Mum. When he said he wasn't okay before but was now she crinkled her nose a little. "What was wrong Mister? Did you lose a favorite toy or something?" She kept her wide eyes looking up, trying too look into his. She couldn't even tell what color his eyes were. He was just to far away.

Then when he asked her name she gasped slightly. Surprised she forgot to do that already. "Oh! I'm Legs...Or well. Lauren Elizabeth Gaiman. But my Mum calls me Legs. It's my initials. L. E. G." She smiled. "You could call me Legs, or you could call me Lauren. My grandma calls me Lauren. She refuses to call me Legs. Something about it being...umm. In..inpropriate or something...Anyways. What's your name? Or should I just call you Mister?" She smiled, letting her small hand find on of his fingers. She wrapped her hand around it and looked up at him again. "Are you going to be my friend?"

[Guest]

“Of course you are special sweetie, you will be whatever height you are supposed to be and it will be special for you, among other things.” This little girl was going to be the end of John’s tough guy reputation, but he didn’t care. A soft spot had established itself inside him and was not about to go away. She was just too adorable with her innocent questions.

“Hmm, I suppose I am part giant, aren’t I? And I suppose that’s part of what makes me special too.” John stood up to his full height, “Does that scare you?” He wondered how this little girl would react if she realized he was part giant. He knelt back down again. “No, I didn’t lose my favorite toy, I keep that right here.” He showed her the cougar claws on his bracelet. “I was just having a bad day, but it is okay now, we don’t need to talk about it.”

And then she went through a whole spiel about her name, how her mom called her Legs when her real name was Lauren. That whole bit about her initials spelling out legs was cute, Lauren Elizabeth Gaiman…Gaiman!?!? As in Professor Gaiman? John’s mind reeled; Professor Gaiman had a daughter? And she was here at Oasis Hill? She didn’t even look old enough to be out of school, much less have a daughter! Did anyone else know about this? John decided it would be best to leave that alone and wait to ask the Professor herself.

“Well Lauren, err, Legs, not sure which I’ll be using, my name is John Keegan. But if you want you can call me Mister. Or you could use my nickname, Cougar-Arms. Any of them is alright by me.” This adorable little thing could call him fluffy bunny boy for all he cared. But he wouldn’t tell her that.

Legs grabbed his finger, and John noticed she could barely wrap her fingers around it in her dainty little palm. His finger was as big around as her wrist! “Are you going to be my friend?” It was the cutest thing she had said so far, so honest, so innocent, who could possibly say no to that big-eyed face? He picked her up under her arms and hoisted her into the air above his head. “Of course we’ll be friends!” He let out a hearty laugh. This day was a good one.

[Sponsored content]