The hallway was empty when Tapendra arrived, and so he took a moment to pause in front of the griffin statute. He was nervous, but so far disguising it well. He still took the moment to take a deep breath and adjust his tie. The clothing he had on was considerably more respectable than what he'd been wearing last year - gone was the slightly worn blue waistcoat, in favor of a well tailored three piece suit. This was an immediate help to his confidence.

Of course, the fact he'd been a horse for the first week of school was not a help. He was glad he'd avoided the Headmaster for that period of time, though how to explain it was a bit beyond him.

He ran a hand through his wild hair and looked at the statue. He hadn't been in this office in...years, really. The last time he'd been here was under Snark, and beyond that, Dumbledore had sat there, looking at him over his glasses...

Well, he'd have to see what the new fellow had done with it.

"Sherbet lemon," he told the statue, and the spiraling staircase appeared. He stepped forward and rode it upwards, hand on the railing. The office above was much as he remembered it, though various objects had been moved about. Sunlight from the early afternoon sun came in through the tall, ornate windows.

He checked his pocket watch; he was a minute early for the time Reid had requested, having stepped off the stairs at 12:59. There didn't seem to be anyone else in the office, so he stepped forward into clearer view of the desk and cleared his throat.

"Forgive me if I'm interrupting, sir," he said. "You wanted to see me, Headmaster?"

Herschel was trying to make time to meet with all of the staff, especially with the heads of house. He had a special interest in the Head of Ravenclaw. His granddaughter had just been sorted into Ravenclaw House at the welcoming feast. Though he loved both of his grandchildren, his granddaughter was more like himself- so he felt particularly protective of her. He wanted to make sure that Trishna was going to do things right, and not put his granddaughter at risk for anything.

He was also curious to hear more about Trishna's teaching methods. Herschel- though not a purist- was still very traditional in his beliefs. He did not believe that muggles has a place in wizard society, and had encouraged his son to marry a witch- that she was muggleborn came as a very slight disappointment, one which he quickly overcame, but had his son married an actual muggle- well, things might not have gone well. That Trishna was teaching the entire student body muggle methods of astronomy was somewhat alarming to Herschel. Mostly in the sense that he found it... frivolous and useless. Witches and wizards would never use these methods of astronomy once they left Hogwarts. Most professional fields held true by wizard standards, and wizard standards alone. It would not surprised Herschel that a graduating witch or wizard's superiors might think them daft if they tried to incorporate some of what Trishna had taught into their every day work.

So Herschel had summoned Trishna to his office, hoping that the professor had sorted out his strange... pony appearance. If that had been a joke, it was not a funny one, and Herschel intended to discuss the matter with him. They were working to put forth the best first impression possible with foreign schools. Mr. Morgan suddenly deciding that a gender change was in order and one of his heads of house deciding it was time to try out being a pony had not helped with that impression.

When he heard Trishna's voice, he emerged from the door behind the office desk, carrying with him a tray of tea he'd had sent up from the house elves. He set it on his desk- which was immaculately organized and surprisingly clear of clutter- took his own seat, and motioned for Trishna to sit down in one of the chairs across from him. "Tea and coffee," he explained. Herschel poured his own cup of coffee, stirring in some Irish Whiskey.

He leaned into his high backed chair, giving Trishna a level stare as he sipped his coffee, holding the mug with all the grace expected of an old, pureblood wizard. "I am pleased to see you back to regular form," he commented. "I must admit that my Astronomy Professor being a... winged horse caused quite a stir among the foreign community. Explaining it to concerned staff and students was not an easy task as nobody took it upon themselves to explain it to me." It was good form, after all, to inform your superior if you were having such an issue. "Bit old for such a prank, are we not Professor Trishna?"

Gulp. So it was going to be about that, wasn't it?

Tapendra had taken a seat, sitting with his long legs crossed at the ankle and his hands placed respectfully on his knees. He nodded in thanks at the offer of tea and coffee, and chose coffee, sipping it quietly. The fact he'd only let himself put in a bit of cream and sugar made it quite a bit more bitter than he liked. He tried not to show this; but it was better than upending the sugar bowl in front of his new boss, he figured. Merlin knew what Reid would think.

"I apologize for any hassle it caused you, sir," he said, glad he'd kept his few seconds of panic out of his tone. "I assure you, it was not on purpose - there was an...incident. The Librarian, Mister Morgan, was also afflicted. Just less...obviously." It was awfully hard to phrase that delicately.

"Madam Nadge did her best to remove the curse, but in the end we had to wait for it to wear off. It went away this morning. I - normally I wouldn't have chosen to remain teaching, but..." He paused and took the moment to sip his coffee, trying to sort the words out. That statement was technically a lie; Tapendra prided himself on not needing a substitute.

"It was the first day of classes, and I had no chance to arrange for a temporary replacement," he explained. "I thought it better to try to continue as normal, rather than abandon my duty, and the students seemed - they were quite respectful about it." His eyes, which had been unwaveringly on Hershel's face, finally dropped to the floor.

Herschel nodded. "I did notice the change in gender of our librarian. However, I opted not to comment given the circumstances which made me aware of the change in sex. I hope, that since your siutation seems to have corrected itself, that our librarian is back to being Mister Morgan rathan than Miss Morgan."

"I understand your decision to continue on as though nothing was amiss, Professor Trishna, but in the future should you find yourself in such an unpleasant situation I would appreciate it if you would let me know prior to my finding out through gossip that Hogwarts has a pony for a professor. I understand that my position as Headmaster is new, but protocol would dictate that I be made aware of such developments among my staff."

He sipped his coffee again, then cleared his throat, sitting up straighter in his chair. "However, I did not call you to my office simply to chide you for an overlook on your part."

"I plan to meet with all of the heads of house and professors to get a chance to know them better. I understand you teach Astronomy?" Herschel began. "It was a class which I never pursued beyond my OWLs, but it seems that many students seem to enjoy it. Also you are the head of Ravenclaw! I was a Ravenclaw many, many years ago. I admit I still have a great amount of house pride. At the sorting my granddaughter was placed into your house. So naturally I have great interest in your capabilities as professor and as a head of house."

"I've heard your approach to Astronomy is... well, according to the letters I received last year just about synonym for preposterous. Something about applying muggle theories?"

"I understand, sir. I will be sure to do that in the future." Next time I grow a tail, you'll be the first to know, he thought, and only by a miracle kept the snicker from surfacing. Laughing to himself would not be a good idea, even if he needed the release. The Headmaster's words were relief enough, however; in trouble he might be, but he wasn't going to have to go up to the tower a pack his things.

He smiled broadly at the mentions of Ravenclaw, though, sitting up straighter. "Best house in the bloody school, sir!" he said with utterly shameless pride. They'd taken the house cup last year, and they'd take both the house and Quidditch the cups this year, if he had anything to say about it! Though the Headmaster's granddaughter being in his house was...it'd be either a boon or a curse. He'd have to see. He liked all the first years so far - even the Slytherins weren't too terrible - so that was a plus.

Tapendra pressed his lips together for a moment when Hershel asked about his subject. He was silent as the man spoke, his stomach twisting even as his resolve easily steeled. He'd explained this over and over during the previous year, and during classes this year; explaining and justifying himself was easy now, even if having to argue the same points endlessly got tiring.

"You've been told correctly, sir, at least in regards to the muggle theories," he said, trying not to let the 'synonym for preposterous' line get to him. "You said you didn't pursue Astronomy past your OWLs?" He wondered when that had been; blast him for not taking the time to look it up! He cleared his throat.

"You see, the manner in which Astronomy is traditionally taught is rather outdated in regards to the wider world, with all due respect, sir," he said, with a quiet assurance. "Wizarding astronomers are, in many respects, behind muggles - as odd as that sounds to more traditional ears. I simply try to make sure students get the most accurate and modern education I can provide, and so teach whichever theory is the most up to date on the particular topic. Their parents have not - have not taken to it, I'm afraid, but the students seem to enjoy it, sir."

Assured that should his professor sprout wings and hooves in the future he would be made aware, Herschel let the matter rest there. Trishna was a grown man, after all, he did not need to have logic beaten into him like a child. Herschel was prepared to give the man the benefit of the doubt, especially when he brightly announced that Ravenclaw was the best house in the school. Herschel smiled, and nodded in silent agreement. As headmaster he should not be overly vocal about his house preferences and his (more than likely) positive prejudice toward the bronze and blue of his alma mater.

"I did not," Herschel said. "I got my NEWTs in eight different subjects. Ancient Runes, Care of Magical Creatures, Charms, Defense, Herbology, History of Magic, Potions, and Transifguration. An impressive collection, no doubt. I just never found a particular use for Astronomy, Arithmancy, or Divination. They hardly seemed very practical to me while I was in school. The only people who seemed to use them beyond Hogwarts were those specialized in fields which... well... were not particularly useful. No offense to you, of course, Professor Trishna. Things might have changed since the late nineteen fifties. I just found the basic grasp of the subject was suitable for my line of work."

"My only concern for your method of teaching is that once the students leave Hogwarts, the... so called more modern methods you have taught them will more than likely be rendered moot. Wizarding employment will dismiss much of it as pish-posh, having little regard for what I believe is called muggle science." Herschel was among those who thought it pish-posh. Then again, he had considered divination and arithmancy to be total hooey. He had not pursued them partially for that reason. (And partially because he had struggled with more advanced mathematics, not that he was about to admit that to anyone.)

Still, Herschel pressed on. He wanted to be sure that Professor Trishna knew his opinion on the matter. Though he would not directly interfere with the man's curriculum- Trishna was, after all, the astronomy was Trishna's supposed area of expertise. "It seems superfluous, in my opinion, to teach children muggle information in a wizard classroom setting- unless, naturally, the course happens to be muggle studies. A witch or wizard who intends to live the rest of their lives in the wizarding world has little use for the knowledge of muggles or muggle theories. You are likely only setting them up for adversity once they attempt to apply those methods outside of your classroom. Then again, I am an old wizard, and perhaps things have changed since I was employed at the ministry."

"Either way, I hope to receive fewer scathing letters about your methods this year. Your students seemed to do well enough on their OWLs last year, though I imagine it was harder to study for them knowing your... special material would not be a part of the standardized test. Hours wasted learning it and what not."

Herschel paused again- realizing his words could be taken as a warning, which was not his original intention. "Of course, Professor Trishna, I hope you will trust me when I say that I do not intend to interfere with your classroom procedure. I have lived through many horrible things, and I have learned over the last thirty years or so that it is not my place to force my beliefs or customs upon another person. Results are what matter, and so long as your students continue to do well on their examinations and are also taught what is needed to thrive in the wizarding world, I have no qualms about any extra material you might incorporate into your teachings. I know very little about Astronomy, so it is not truly my place to judge."

"I understand your concern, sir, but I always ensure the children are fully educated in the skills they will need to succeed in the wizarding world," he said, which was true. Astronomy's applications were few, but he had a feeling a full discussion on the exact nature of the Astronomy subject in the professional lives of Witches and Wizards wasn't what the Headmaster wanted to hear anyway.

"I do not teach them methods, I should add; simply knowledge and ideas wizards have not developed as far as muggles have," he explained. "My main goal is not to indoctrinate them with muggle ideas for the sake of it, but rather to encourage them to question their beliefs on the subject and to encourage them to realize the universe runs on more than magic. Astronomy has too long been a static field on the student level - I'm sure you remember the long hours of charting the same stars over and over? - and I'd simply like the students to be aware of,and be able to experience, the ideas and philosophies of serious Astronomy."

He flushed slightly, and his steady gaze averted. "I apologize - I don't mean to talk your ears off. Rest assured the students will not struggle on their NEWTs and OWLs, as all the information they need for them is still present in my curriculum and not an after thought, as many parents believe."

Tapendra cleared his throat. "Thank you, sir. I will do my utmost to ensure this school's standards are kept in place."

"Ah, well that is a whole different matter then. I was apparently misinformed, then. I see no harm in sharing knowledge and ideas- in fact, I find that a broad education is very beneficial to the students. It is partially why I was so very excited to be at the helm of this tournament- the extended curriculum will be a grand experience for everyone involved. I'm sure that Salem will appreciate your approach." Of course, he wasn't sure how he felt about their progressive curriculum.

He was, however, curious to see how the students from other schools were fitting in at Hogwarts and their behavior in class. Durmstrang students were held to high standards, and Beauxbaton students seemed to have a different idea of what was appropriate behavior- Herschel wondered if they were being respectful and paying attention  to his professors. He had heard no complaints, but he assumed that when students were settling into classes was not an appropriate time to make complaints.

"Would you mind if I came by for one of your classes?" Herschel asked. "I'm going to try sit in on classes with most of the professors. Mostly to satiate my curiosity, and to see how things are going with combining the schools into one classroom setting. It is, in no way, an insult toward your capabilities as a professor."

"I'd also like to hear about what you do as head of Ravenclaw. Do you do anything specific for your house?" Herschel asked. "Check in with the students, encourage them, things of that nature? What type of methods do you employ as head of house?" He took a large swing from his cup this time, resting the empty coffee cup on his desk. He poured some more, leaving out the whiskey this time, stirring in his cream and sugar as he listened to Trishna's responses to his questions.

Tapendra relaxed visibly. His smile returned, spreading from ear to ear in his usual manner; it only vanished for a moment, as he sipped his coffee. As he listened to the Headmaster speak he added more sugar and creamer to the coffee, stripping it in the vague hope it'd start to taste good.

He raised an eyebrow at the man's request, but nodded. "Of course, sir, you're welcome to observe anytime," he said, though the butterflies returned for a moment. Knowing his luck, the Headmaster would chose a class where O'Fearghial set fire to Wakahisa or O'Doherty had one of his allergy attacks.

The head discussion was much easier. "Frankly, sir, I try to do that for all of the students," he said, with a smile. "For Ravenclaw, however, I've been working with our upper years on their classes - to make sure they're prepared for the NEWTs and their careers. I try and ensure all members of my house are doing well in their classes, and are being well-behaved." Ravenclaws in detention! Tapendra would do his best to avoid that. "And Quidditch, of course - with so many of our players having graduated, Ravenclaw needs to get back up to speed!" Tapendra wasn't majorly into sports, but he sure as hell was when the blue and bronze was involved. And he could rub it in Ishane's face a bit.

"To be honest with you, sir, I pay special attention to my house, but do my best to provide guidance to any student who seeks it," he confessed.

Herschel finally smiled- genuinely, and relaxed in his seat- when he heard that Tapendra tried to encourage and check in on all of the students. It was good to hear that someone else was concerned with the success and education of all students, no matter their house or their background. "That's very good to hear!" Herschel said jovially, sipping his coffee. "I believe that all children deserve a good education, and I think it is our duty- as the educators- to see that they get one, and that they do not squander their potential. It is a shame to see students who have the world at their finger tips just fizzle out because they don't care or they were not pushed hard enough to succeed!"

"Ravenclaw must be easy enough, I assume, for that task to take care of itself. The students are generally clever and work hard to maintain their grades and see to it that their futures are protected by their current actions. It puts you in a unique position to have the time and ability to focus on students on other houses as well." It was what Herschel did when he was a teacher at Hogwarts. Of course, he was also able to aid students in multiple subjects, not just those he had taught. He was a talented wizard, after all.

"Who is your quidditch captain this year?" Herschel asked. "It wouldn't hurt to see to it that they are properly advertising for the team, and holding the appropriate try outs. Quidditch is such a traditional past time of Hogwarts, and I am very glad that it will continue, even with the tournament going on. It will be a unique sporting experience for Salem, and the other schools will have the ability to see our students excell in sports as well as academics through spectating."

"Though it occurs to me now that the stands might need to be enlarged to hold the extra bodies..." He trailed off for a moment, and wrote himself a quick note on a scrap of parchment on his desk, then tucked it away in a drawer for later. He would have to have a look at it later and figure out whether or not it would be a simple task to make more room on the stands.

Tapendra smiled. "Thank you, sir. The Ravenclaws are indeed likely the easiest house to head - I can't say I envy Ms. Levartian or Mr. Morgan much." He couldn't help but chuckle softly at the idea of him as head of Slytherin. There was a terrifying idea, that was for sure. For everyone involved.

"The trouble Ravenclaw usually gets into is...well, shall we say, academic experiments gone awry? Their trouble tends not to be on purpose." Which was good. Troublesome Ravenclaws were such a wonderfully rare breed! He almost wished he had some that mixed the house up a bit. School was all well and good, but sometimes he worried some of the Ravenclaws might forget about fun...

He frowned at the subject of Quidditch, though, cupping his hands together. "I don't know," he admitted, with a sigh. "No one has put their name forward yet this year - I thought Norwood was going to take it up, but he seems to have changed his mind..."

Clearing his throat, he squared his jaw. "Don't worry, sir. I'll make sure Ravenclaw has a Quidditch team to rival the other houses," he assured Hershel, his stance definitely implying he meant that. "I just need to find a student with the ability and drive to give the team the focus it needs. Alas..." He smirked, "The Ravenclaws all have nightmarish schedules. I might be losing my Seeker, too - he's left himself no time to attend practices in..."

Rubbing the back of his head, he looked back up at Hershel. "I have to confess I've never really focused on Quidditch much before now, though. I don't suppose you have any advice on how to g about this, sir?"

Herschel smiled a little. Yes, he didn't envy the heads of the other houses either. Of course, as headmaster, Herschel was in charge of all the houses. And the staff as well. "Academic experimentation," Herschel repeated- remembering his youth. "Naturally I identify a bit with that. At the ministry I did spell experimentation, it was quite an exciting time. Of course, Hogwarts is not the appropriate place for such experiments. The Department of Mysteries was far better suited to deal with any inappropriate outcomes.

"Well, we'll have to be sure to find an appropriate captain, won't we Professor Trishna? Ravenclaw has always had a unique advantage at quidditch due to how clever they are. Of course, sometimes with that sport brute force does win out over intelligence. I recall that being a particular strength of Gryffindor and Slytherin house when I was in school. And as always, Hufflepuff was quietly underestimated."

"But yes- I do trust that you will see to the team. It would be nice to see a good one put together. Ravenclaw has a Knight on the team, do they not?" Herschel asked. "I remember hearing that his elder brother left Hogwarts to join a professional quidditch team. Perhaps it runs in the family. Now we'll just have to hope that the rest of the Knight family doesn't join the team for Slytherin," Herschel chuckled.

When Trishna asked for advice, Herschel paused for a minute to consider what advice to give. "Admittedly, I didn't play in Hogwarts. I was busy with academics as well, which seems to be a regular issue with Ravenclaw. I would suggest talking to what is left of last year's team first, and see what theyt hink. Arrange yourself a captain. The team will need someone to lead them to victory other than their head of house."

"Doesn't stop them from trying," Tapendra said. "Improperly brewed potions last year resulted in - well. We had a party and the cake blew up. Rather spectacularly. Thankfully, most of the children found it very amusing." He'd much rather reflect on that incident rather than on the other issue he'd had with improperly brewed potions!

"I've got someone in mind, sir," Tapendra confessed. "I'm not sure what to do if he says no, though." Since he didn't really have an ideal backup, if that came to pass. He really didn't know who could step up - or would. They seemed to lack Ravenclaws with the interest in leading who also had the time to do it. "He seems the only one that is an obvious choice.

"We do, sir. Blake Knight. He's-" He had been about to say something harsher, but he quickly changed it to, "Considerably more friendly that his elder, sir. He's an excellent Beater." He shuffled awkwardly for a moment; somehow it didn't seem prudent to explain that Callum had stormed out of his class the year before and Tapendra had never been able to really get over it. Knight had been a very capable student, however - he'd caught back up quite well. He had to give him that. Everything else, though...

"Thank you, sir," he said, smiling. "I'll be sure to do my best. I hope you've found the staff meets your expectations, so far."

"Well, then we'll hope he says yes, won't we?" Herschel said with a smile. "I trust you've got this all under control! You seem to be a perfectly capable professor and head of house. And if you've got a Knight as a beater maybe his brother will have taught him some secrets. And if he hasn't, maybe we'll hope that he does since he's not here to defend his house championship anymore!"

Herschel was looking forward to quidditch this year, and hoped that the teams for all houses were well off. He might have graduated nearly sixty years ago, but he still had a special place for Ravenclaw in his heart and still thought of himself as having a lot of pride. He'd certainly never missed a chance in the past to brag about his graduating house and to encourage anyone he knew who was a Ravenclaw themselves. Sometimes bias was just hard to erase after having it for so long.

His brow furrowed when Tapendra mentioned that he hoped Herschel found the staff met his expectations. To be honest, they had not- not yet, but that wasn't something you discussed with a professor. "We shall see," was his cryptic answer. "I intend to get to know them as best I can before the year is out, and drop by at least once to make sure that they are up to part. Especially the new professors." Because those from the previous year had more or less proven themselves with the grades on the OWL and NEWT finals from the previous year.

"Right, well, I do believe that's all I wanted to ask of you. Check in on you, on Ravenclaw, make sure that next time you find yourself indisposed in some manner you keep me in the loop and what not. I'll be by sometime in the next few weeks to have a look at your class and see how things are run and see how the students respond. But don't worry. It's not an official type of review- just curious." Herschel didn't really know enough about Astronomy to give Tapendra any kind of review anyway.

"I want you to know if you ever need anything or have any concerned, my door is always open. I'm hoping to stay on good terms with staff this year and stay in contact. I don't want to be the lofty, inaccessible headmaster, or be overly intimidating. Just like you, I have a job to do, and it's going to take everyone cooperating with one another to make sure that I do my job well. I think it benefits everyone for me to be more involved rather than less." He hoped that was how things would go at any rate.

Tapendra smiled, politely and genuinely. Well, Reid was certainly an improvement over Snark; the fact that he was willing to let Tapendra continue his curriculum - at least for now - was a great weight off his shoulders. As long as the kids did well, he'd be fine. And he could make the class relevant - he knew he could.

Of course, that was always his goal - and his problem. This was why he quietly wished he could have customized the OWLs; he was far, far too used to the students in his classes having all passed the previous class and covered the same material. Of course, many of them seemed to have forgotten the previous year, in the case of the Hogwarts kids. People who'd aced their OWLs and done well in his class were giving him blank stares...that was frustrating.

"Thank you, sir. I'll be sure to do so," Tapendra said, and meant it - since, unlike Snark, Tapendra wasn't feeling the need to hide from Reid. There had been a reason he usually didn't eat in the Great Hall. He stood up, having emptied his cup, and placed it on the desk. "I hope that's the case, sir. Hopefully it'll help with the turnover." Or maybe Hogwarts was just...well, cursed. He hoped not.

"If you need me, sir, you know where to find me - or you can just send an owl," he said, smiling again and half-bowing before he left the office.