Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

• it’s no secret to anyone who has had the pleasure of taking his classes, or who knows anyone who has, that mozus trien is an incredibly strict and inflexible teacher. the type who actually takes his job seriously and isn’t easily worn down or walked over by even the most manipulative or powerful of his students — and that strictness isn’t something that’s going to vanish just because you have gained his favour somehow
• but once he truly gets to know you as an individual and you start to more openly express your earnest passion for history — both of the world you come from and of twisted wonderland — you will notice his usual stern demeanour start to feel slightly more paternal in nature than it was before
• though the shift isn’t overtly obvious if you don’t know what to look for since trien does make an effort to keep his slight favouritism as unnoticeable as possible… but it is there
• it’s there when he allows you to linger in his empty classroom between lessons and after school, either taking advantage of the comfortable silence to grade papers or lesson prep while you work on your assignments or filling the silence by answering any questions you may have about the history of his word… and by occasionally asking you questions about your own world history in return when he has a free moment to do so
• it’s there in the personalised study guides he gives you, making sure that you stay on top of your mandatory reading while also directing you to additional sources he thinks may interest you — dismissing any probing questions with the excuse that he’s just trying to help you stay above water by giving you access to historical context you would have literally no way of knowing otherwise given your unique origins
• it’s there when he’s willing to sit down with you after school and listen to you talk about the history you’re so passionate about. offering you the chance to gush about your home with such vigour that it almost reminds him of himself and his own passion for studying the history of magic back before he was a teacher. and in how he’s willing to ask you follow up questions — though who could blame him for being at least a little curious about the history of a world so very different from his own? it’s only natural, really
• it’s there when he offers a stiff but motivating nod of approval after you answer a question correctly in his class when he called on you. maybe even offering some small verbal approval too if your answer was sufficiently detailed as well. not enough to draw significant attention but enough for you to know he’s impressed with the swift progress you’ve been making and your eagerness to continue learning despite your disadvantages
• and it’s there when he allows you to cuddle and play with lucius after your supplementary lessons, and in how he’s always willing to answer your questions no matter how specific they may be
• because in all of his years of teaching he’s rarely stumbled across a student quite so passionate about his subject as you are, so it’s only right, in his mind, that he does what he can as your professor to help nurture and solidify that interest where possible. especially given how hard you’ve already been working to keep up with the rest of your cohort
• … and maybe, just maybe, because you remind him of his daughters sometimes and he’d like to think that someone would step in as he is were they ever to end up in your position. though he’d never admit to anything quite so sentimental, so if pressed he’d just say he was doing his due diligence as a teacher to help you settle in and thrive despite you literally coming from a different world