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Post by Prof. Darrow on Dec 28, 2007 22:30:16 GMT
A Headmaster always had to make time for his pupils, he could never have a moments pure peace and tranquility, such a busy life took it out of you, wearied you, but he wouldn't change it for the world. Darrow always made time available to see students, whenever they needed his help or support they could count upon it; yet only few took him up on the offer. Perhaps it was enough that the supporting network was there, it was for the best that few needed such a network, as clearly that meant they were enjoying life to the full; didn't it?
So rare was the chance for him to dine well and take his time over a meal, sometimes he had such paperwork amassed that he had to ask for the house elves to bring him up a little light refreshment; they willingly obliged and ate well themselves on joining him as he wouldn't touch a bite until they tucked in too. It made, therefore, a pleasant change to set aside the necessary time in his busy schedule to join his colleagues at the dinner table, for tonight was the special meal for all staff. Whether many would take him up on the offer was another matter entirely, but he secretly hoped for a sizeable gathering, with teachers joined by cleaners and cooks alike; everyone had been invited, he'd even hand written the invitations, which a happy house elf had obliged to deliver, even daring to venture down near the forest to deliver the Kepper of the Keys his invitation.
Dinner was to begin at 8 o'clock precisely, after the pupils had been ushered from the Great Hall where the staff's banquet, of sorts, could begin. It was nothing different; so as special and delightful as always. Darrow had arrived early and was about to settle himself in the customary Headteacher's position at the head of the table, a rare flash of inspiration came to him. With a small smile and a flourish of his wand the tables rearranged, creating a circle in the middle of the hall, now everyone was treating equally; for they were all equals and he wished to remind everyone of such a fact. It had caused some tension when he hadn't invited members of the Ministry for Magic, but he hadn't felt it proper even if they were guests, they had somewhat overstayed their welcome, and besides somebody needed to care for the students whilst the staff where indisposed. Smiling as he took a random seat Darrow wondered who would sit by him, it would be telling certainly. He awaited the arrival of his colleagues with his usual inexhaustible patience.
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Post by Prof Octavious Everritt on Dec 28, 2007 22:52:55 GMT
Addis appeared at the door, finally getting away from the ruckus and growns from the students as they complained that it was too early for bed. He had walked past several of the Ministry Officials and laughed at the looks upon their faces as they were the ones who had to look after the ruckus.
Now, Addis walked into the great hall and saw the wonderful display of Darrow's magic. He smiled in awe as Darrow used his charms to move the tables into a circle in the centre of the room and with an uprised eyebrow, Addis laughed. He clapped applaudingly and bowed, showing his respect for the Headmaster.
He raised up and smiled. 'Headmaster, it is truly an honor to be sharing this banquet with you.' He said in a merry tone, then his smile faded and a frown appeared on his face. 'There is much to discuss, though not now as it is time to feast!' He flashed his smile once more towards the end of his statement.
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Post by Prof. Darrow on Dec 28, 2007 23:11:59 GMT
Chuckling Darrow arose from his chair bowing in turn to Addis, he had most certainly warmed to him; his easy going nature combined with his good work ethic made Octavious a good teacher and mentor, a man whom his pupils could look up to and also depend upon; seemingly. Yet few knew the real Addis still there was an intrinsically good nature, yet dark events unfortunately had an effect upon the most merry and stalwart of men, Addis being no exception. Darrow admired the man for his unshakeable determination at achieving his goal, yet he also feared such fanatacism, he dearly hoped overpowering thoughts of revenge didn't cloud his judgement.
He believed his own judgement of Addis' character had been true and fair, he only hoped he was right. Such pondering had kept him awake at night, but now it didn't even cross his mind as he clapped Addis on the shoulder in greeting. "The honour is all mine my boy, I couldn't keep away from your splendid company." Smiling Darrow continued, "too true, we can meet tomorrow morning, 11 o'clock sharp, it fits your schedule?" He asked with a twinkle in his eye, he guessed it would, externalities aside, as he'd carefully memorised each professor's timtable, that had taken some doing for a man his age, he could tell you. "Again you speak sense, now is the time for merriment," the Headmaster smiled, gesturing for Addis to be seated, even pulling out a chair for his colleague.
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Post by Professor Daniel Hubbles on Dec 28, 2007 23:23:34 GMT
When the house elf had handed over the invitation Dan’s first thought was to politely decline with apologise that he had not been feeling all too well and with a stack of work to mark it might not have been the best idea. This would have clearly been a lie as for once in his time as a Professor at Hogwarts Dan had no work to do, his office had been cleaned and sorted and even the extra essay’s. So with being unable to come up with any other excuse and not wanting to disrespect the headmaster Dan let his office and headed to the Great Hall. The main door was slightly ajar and as he walked in Dan noticed how the tables had been moved, most likely by the magic of the headmaster, but also they had been moved to form a circle. Dan could not help but smile, Headmaster Darrow thought of every minor detail and this idea that everyone was equal just brought an even wider smile to his face. Once he had entered the hall properly Dan greeted the headmaster and his fellow worker.
“Good evening gentleman. It is a pleasure to see you both. I hope you are well and all that.”
Dan shot a small smile at both Darrow and Everritt before choosing one of the many chairs to sit at. He was half tempted to sit near the headmaster but deep down Dan knew he was not worthy of sitting by such a great man, a man who had saved his life. So instead Dan sat a few chairs away from the other two.
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Post by Prof Octavious Everritt on Dec 28, 2007 23:51:14 GMT
Addis smiled. '11 o'clock sharp will do me fine, Professor.' Addis said, laughing a little afterwards.
He kindly took the offer from Darrow and sat down, before looking over and seeing Dan Hubbles enter the hall. He nodded in greeting. 'Evening, Professor.' Addis greeted kindly.
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Post by kenna on Dec 29, 2007 3:31:27 GMT
Professor Darling glided into the room, her beautiful Amethyst Robes trailing behind her. "Good Day, Headmaster. Thank you so very much for the invitation," she said, her Italian accent thick. She glanced at the tables and clapped her hands together, "Oh, Beautiful!" she exclaimed.
With a grin, she took a seat next to the Headmaster. She gave a nod to her fellow staff members, "Good Day," she said to each one.
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Post by Prof Octavious Everritt on Dec 29, 2007 4:00:18 GMT
Addis looked upon the new face entering the room and his eyes widened. He felt his heart skip a beat, as his face lost colour. He felt he knew her, or at least she resembled someone he knew.
She soon introduced herself to the other Professor's and sat down in the seat right next Professor Darrow and with an uneasy look, he looked away.
How do I know her? I feel as if I do know her... She looks so much like... Couldn't be? She doesn't even look entirely like her... So young as well... Who is she? Addis thought to himself.
When she said, "Good day," to him, he smiled and replied, 'Good evening, Professor. Welcome to Hogwarts, I am sure you're finding yourself quite comfortable here?'
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Post by kenna on Dec 29, 2007 4:04:12 GMT
Kenna smiled, "Thank you, I am actually," She said folding her hands and placing them on the oak table, "It feels like home already," she said. "Oh, I do apologize, I never introduced myself. My name's Kenna Darling," she said placing her hands on her lap, "And I do hope that you all help me become accustomed to the school. It differs from Beaubatons in many ways," she said smiling.[/color]
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Post by Prof Octavious Everritt on Dec 29, 2007 4:20:49 GMT
Darling!? He thought to himself immediately. She couldn't be the daughter of... She would have told me, would she? Addis had a confused look upon his face but he soon lost in in turn for a smile. 'I am Octavious Everritt.'
'Beaubaxtons is an incredible school, but here, here! is where real students learn true magic come.' He said, forcing himself to reply, though all his thoughts were on that one summer fling he had way back when. He fought himself to ask her the one question the popped into his mind, but he forced himself to relinquish it. 'I would like to help you.' He said willingly as a winning smile appeared on his face.
I have a chance to find out. He thought to himself.
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Post by Offley Marsh on Jan 2, 2008 18:31:33 GMT
A chance to dine with the headmaster was something Offley would never be stupid enough to refuse, however she was only the librarian and she knew that she would feel out of place and most likely forced to feel lower then the rest of the professors although she knew one thing, Dan would be there so at least she would have someone to talk to. So at the hour Offley locked her office door and gave strict notice to the paintings and some ghosts to look after the library while she was away, she felt it wrong to close the library to the students, they should be able to enjoy the freedoms of education at any point, when the call of a book calls they should be able to pick it up and read.
Entering the Great Hall Offley was surprised to see that so few members of staff had actually showed up. There was only the Headmaster who was smiling broadly and listening to the conversation that was going on between Professor Everritt and someone who at first Offley thought was a student, only to realise that she was clearly a Professor. The other Professor who was in the room was non other then Dan Hubbles and Offley headed straight towards him. Sitting down in the chair next to him she gave Dan a small smile before turning her attention to the headmaster.
“Headmaster Darrow it is an honour to have received your invitation. I can not tell you how pleased I was. It is change to dinning unaccompanied in the library, and there are only a few books that you can have a good conversation with over dinner.”
Offley gave one last smile at the headmaster before turning to the man who she was sitting next to. The smile grew wider and as she looked at Dan she noticed how out of sprits he was, his hair was flat and his tie…
“Oh Daniel.” Offley had noticed that for once in his life Dan Hubbles had put a tie on and a frown creased across her brow. It was one thing she always admired about Dan, he hardly ever wore a tie and today was one of these occasions when it was not needed. He seemed to be a world of his own and let Offley fuss over him as she flicked up his collar and quickly undid his tie and then flicked open the top few buttons and let it naturally fall open. She then moved onto his hair and started to run her fingers through it making it stand on end, it was only then did Dan start to act So with a laugh and a wide grin Dan started to ruffle up Offley’s hair, acting more like a pair of children then adults of the school.
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Post by Prof Brianna O'Donnell on Jan 2, 2008 21:33:58 GMT
Bree had been spending much time with Dia lately. The two female teachers have always gotten along very well but not until recently had they become very close. Bree had found it most odd that Dia would instigate a meeting with her but their lunch had been enlightening and the most bizarro meal she had had in years. Naturally she had not told her this but it had crossed her mind more then once.
So when it invitations had come, Dia and Bree had been together in the Staff Room. Dia had been shocked when she had read hers but Bree had seen the opportunity to get Dia out of her quiet self pity party for one. Bree had come very near to the end of her tether with Dia and she needed to be in the same room with more then one adult. This was perfect. So when the time came, Bree had to go to Dia’s room, force her to get dressed and presentable and drag her out of her room. Bree, herself, was wearing an uncharacteristic green with white polka dotted dress and lovely dark green high healed shoes. Bree had her girly moments and did own a dress or two. Since the holiday, much of the tall slender woman had changed starting with her hair.
With an arm linked with Dia, the two women walked into the Great Hall. The Headmaster was already present, naturally, and a few others. Brianna grinned widely at everyone and spotted a relatively new face and that of a young lady. Fantastic! Bree thought and headed straight for her, releasing Dia’s arm. She had brought her this far; she could handle herself from here. Bree moved to where Darrow was sitting and leaned on the back of his chair. “Lovely evening for it, Darrow,” Bree said cheerily and held out her hand. She had always enjoyed the Headmaster’s company and often shared teas with him, when their schedules would allow.
After having shaken the Headmaster’s hand, Bree turned to the woman next to him and held her hand out to her. “Evening,” she charmed, “Brianna O’Donnell, Care of Magical Creatures, a pleasure.” Bree always love new faces at Hogwarts and tried her level best to make them feel welcome. She also loved it when food was available and she would move to the nearest chair as soon as she had made this introduction.
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Post by Professor Dia Hubbles on Jan 2, 2008 22:28:05 GMT
Dia had been in a bad mood even before Bree had come a knocking on her door. It wasn’t everyday that she was like this it was just that this evening was a bad day. She had curled herself up on her bed, a pillow hugged in her arms, reading the letter she had received from her mother. Her mother was always full of wisdom and she could always put things in perspective but this letter assured her how unworthy that man was of being any more then a co-worker. Her mother’s forceful tone and language was almost encouraging but it was more heart breaking.
The knock on her door came many times before she actually opened it. Bree looked fantastic as usual and Dia felt all the more unkempt and scraggly. Bree had convinced her to get dressed, she chose a grey suite with a lilac shirt underneath. Bree made sure that Dia brushed her hair and looked good so she could show that she wasn’t falling apart. Appearances were everything, Dia was constantly reminded. Dia was practically dragged to the Great Hall and into it by Bree and once they were there Dia couldn’t leave right away.
Taking deep breaths, and concentrating on Bree, Dia moved towards the round table slowly. She avoided looking at Dan with all her might but put on a big smile when she saw the new teacher Bree had introduced herself to. Moving behind Bree and the new teacher, Dia sat so there was a chair between herself and the new teacher as she knew that Bree would want to sit there. “Evening Headmaster,” she said in a small voice. She tried her best to smile at him but her sadness came through.
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Post by Professor Daniel Hubbles on Jan 2, 2008 22:55:38 GMT
Dan felt like a four year old when Offley started to tidy him up, but in some way it was nice to have someone fuss over him, to feel like there was another person who wanted him to look his best if anything he liked the contact with someone else his own age. However when she started to spike up his hair it brought some painful memories back and so he quickly tried to get rid of these thoughts by acting immature, which in the presence of the headmaster may not have been the wisest of moves but it meant he forgot about the person who…who had just entered the Great Hall. Dan did not know what to do, he wanted to look at her as it had been so long since he was able to just look at her and take in everything. But he also did not want to, the mere memory of Dia hurt seeing her would be worse. So diverting his eyes from her Dan focused on Offley while trying to stop his hands from shaking too much. It was when he heard her voice that Dan knew he needed to do something to try and break the ice between them. It had been almost 5 months since Dan had left Dia standing in the corridor and she told him it was over. But her voice sent a shiver his spin and as he turned to look at Dia her sadness was clear and it broke Dan’s heart even more.
Why did he still have to love her?
“You know what Offley.” Dan had turned back to the librarian with a small smile on his face. “This reminds me of the old days. At the house tables, I would sit at the Ravenclaw one just so I could talk to you and you were convinced that the bacon on the Hufflepuff table tasted nicer then on yours. I still have not worked that one out.”
Laughter filled his face as he thought about the many fun occasions that had passed in the Great Hall, however the layout was different but for some reason he felt the same urge as he did back then that he was the immature one at the table, the clown and with this in mind he had to restrain from putting his tying his tie around his head like a headband, maybe he would do that when more alcohol had been consumed and people were no longer being so civil.
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Post by kenna on Jan 3, 2008 22:35:24 GMT
Kenna gave a small nod as two 3 more staff members joined the feast. She smiled warmly at Prof Bree as she introduced herself, "Hello, Brianna," she responded, "I am Kenna Darling, D.A.D.A. I've heard it was a challenging subject to teach but I live for a challenge," she said with a small laugh.
She cleared her throat and smiled at Professor Everritt, "Thank you. I highly appreciate it," she answered. Kenna glanced at the others in the room. The man and woman sitting opposite of her seemed to know each other a little too well. "Oh," she said softly, as she tried not to eavesdrop. She turned her attention away from the other staff members and stared down at the table.[/color]
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Post by Prof Brianna O'Donnell on Jan 3, 2008 23:24:40 GMT
Brianna moved around the woman's chair and took the seat between her and Dia. Chuckling lightly, Bree smiled at Kenna as she pulled the chair in beneath her. "Just call me Bree," she said smiling. It was always fun giving her full name because she thought it was pretty but she preferred her nickname if she was honest with herself. She quickly added with another smile, "if you'd like."
Looking around at all the faces, Bree was surprised to see the women separate from the men. She let out a laugh that echoed around the room. The sight most amused her. Another sight caught her eye and made her eyes travel to the fragile Dia: Marsh throwing herself at Hubbles. Bree very covertly reached for Dia's hand and gave it a little squeeze and a smile. Turning back to those assemble, mostly the Headmaster, Bree asked (as she only thought with her stomach, really), "so where's the food? I'm famished?"
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