Leopold took a moment to be enormously pleased with himself.  He'd managed to read through the majority of the student files for the children in his house. His house.  Hufflepuff was his, to form and mold as he saw fit.  No longer would they be considered the dumping ground for those who didn't qualify for the other houses; his would be the house of loyalty.  He planned to arrange for the upper class-men that were doing well to tutor the lower class-men.  If the older students were faltering, if all else failed he could tutor them himself.

He offered Howler an almond biscuit and chuckled when the little monkey scrambled up a shelf with his prize.  "I'm guessing you won't be dunking it then?  In that case, I'll dose up my tea."  He added a quick dash of wit sharpening potion and a second dash of brandy, and stirred thoughtfully.

Who is it that I have scheduled for this evening?  Ah yes, I remember.

Alice opened the door quietly, and stepped inside. She closed the door quietly, and stood wither her back to it, waiting to be invited in.

Growing up, Alice lived next to an elderly woman, who was very strict about manners. Her mother used to send her over there when she had to go out. The lady wouldn't allow you to come in the house until you were invited in. To make matters worse, once you came in, you were forced to eat her stale cookies in order to be polite. Alice hated this, but learned a lot about manners. She had used these lessons many times throughout her life.

And now was no different. She stood there, hands behind her back, with a small smile on her face, waiting to be invited in.

Leopold smiled.  "Please, sit down, Miss Hunter.  Would you care for some tea and biscuits?  I assume you are fully recovered from your accident in flying?  You shouldn't worry about it.  I recall that the last time I taught here,  a student took off and headed straight out over the lake at top speed.  It took the flying instructor almost until Hogsmeade to catch the poor fellow."

He set out a tray of almond cookies, one of which Howler immediately stole, before jumping to the back of the chair in front of Leopold's desk.  It almost seemed as if the little monkey was claiming the chair, defying Alice to take it from him so she could sit.

Alice felt odd. She felt like she didn't really fit in in this setting. It was a teacher's office. This is where you go to get reprimanded. Alice had to tell herself a million times that she didn't do anything wrong, and this was simply a kind "hello" meeting. She walked towards the desk when his monkey jumped on top of the chair of where Alice was going to sit. It was almost as though he wanted it.

Alice wanted to show respect, and sit down like he asked, but at the same time, was a bit frightened by the monkey. She didn't like the idea about taking something from someone else, but, essentially, that was the spot she was in. Manners versus being rude. This was quite a decision. But, she figured that she would rather have good manners to the man in charge than be rude to the monkey.

She sat down in the chair, ignoring the thoughts about what the monkey may do to her for stealing his chair. She was asked if she would like some tea and biscuits. This was just like Ms. Gunner's house. She declined kindly from the tea but accepted a biscuit. She nibbled on the corner of it, before setting it back down in her hand.

Then he brought up Quidditch. She didn't realize how fast news spread. She laughed slightly at the story of the other student and the lake, which really freaked her out, but she ignored the fear. "Yes sir. I have made a full recovery and am feeling much better. Thank you for asking."

"No tea?"  Leopold shrugged and set aside the empty tea cup.  "Don't mind Howler,"  he added.  "He's a scoundrel and a rouge but he's got a heart twice the size he is.  Now, how are you settling in?  Other than your flying incident, has there been any problems?"

The girl was half Muggle, which made her therefor half witch.  There were many of his students who were not pureblooded and his house seemed to gather a significant number of the Muggleborn.  Leopold still hadn't become completely comfortable with them entirely but so far none of them had exploded in his office, so he had high hopes that none ever would.

"No tea?"

"No, no thank you. Never was very fond of tea," Alice said with a kind smile. She nibbled once more at her cookie, before setting it down once more and crossing her ankles. She was about to cross her legs, but Alice remembered the nasty look from Ms. Gunner, and just crossed her ankles daintily.

Now, how are you settling in?  Other than your flying incident, has there been any problems?"

Alice laughed once more, surprised he continually brought up the fact that she had a flying incident in the first place once again. "I'm settling in just fine, thanks. I grew up in a highly magical home. My mother and older siblings used it frequently, as it was only my dad who was non-magical. He doesn't mind that we use it. In fact, he believes that magic makes things easier. So, it hasn't been hard to adjust to that. The distance from my family though. That's been a little rough."

Alice smiled.

"Friends will make the distance seem smaller and time will pass quite quickly," Leopold said.  "You'll be home to visit before you know it and you could always pass some of the time writing letters.  You may have noticed the excitement the morning mail causes when the owls arrive at breakfast.  Would you like some milk, if you don't want tea?"

Despite his rather scattered manner, Leopold was quite focused on the situation.

When Leopold spoke about friends, Alice had something immediate to say. "Actually, in Oulton Broad, where I grew up, there was a number of halfblooded families! Over the summer, I really learned how many kids my age were in that town that were magical! It was cool, if not just odd, but I really like that I had preexisting friends." She smiled once again, before adding quickly. "That doesn't mean I'm opposed to making new friends, I mean, I LOVE to meet new people and make new friends!"

"You'll be home to visit before you know it and you could always pass some of the time writing letters.  You may have noticed the excitement the morning mail causes when the owls arrive at breakfast.

"I write a lot of letters," Alice replied, nodding. "And I do get some response. It's great. I love it. And when the owls deliver them in the morning, it's fantastic. Simply fantastic. The first few days, they actually frightened me, I am not going to lie." She laughed.

Would you like some milk, if you don't want tea?"

"No, no. I am perfect, thank you. The biscuits are excellent, by the way."

"You'll need to thank the house elves for the cookies,"  Leopold said.  "The keep me well supplied.   Making friends easily is an excellent skill to possess and make no mistake, it is a skill.  Some people lack it entirely while others could bottle it.  Hufflepuff is a house based on friendship and loyalty and that puts you are in a unique position, Miss Hunter.  As someone who makes friends easily, you can help those who are not so lucky.  I'm not telling you to make friends with everyone, that isn't something you can be told to do, but I will encourage you to do so.  It will take you a very long way in this house, perhaps even to prefect."

"I can't agree with you more, professor." Alice said. She liked this man. He understood her, and was serious about his job. It really made her feel comfortable around him, which was always a bonus. "Friends are family when you need them. It's like when there is a terrible day, and you would usually go to your mother to cry, but instead you go to your best friend, and the treatment is the same. It's a great feeling." Alice continued to smile. She knew there was something he was digging at with her, though she couldn't put her finger on it. It was like he was just talking about the frosting on a cupcake, waiting patiently until it is all gone and he can get to the actual cake part.

"I have one more question for you then,"  Leopold said, stirring his tea.  "I'm going to assume that some of your friends were sorted into different houses.  Do you have friends in all the houses?"  His plan was simple.  Then entire school would eventually know that Hufflepuff wasn't the house of those who didn't have what it took to be in the other houses.  They would know that Hufflepuff was the house of loyalty and the place to go if you needed a friend.

" I do," Alice replied. "I have a few friends in Gryffindor, but that's all. I haven't gotten close with any Slytherins or Ravenclaws, though I'd like to." She smiled. "Upperclassmen scare me a little, to be truthful. I just feel very intimidated by them." Alice looked downs at the biscuit in her hand. The almonds jutted out in random directions, and yet, the biscuit was still very tasty. It reminded her that even if something didn't look promising, it can still be awesome.

"You need to realize that the upper classmen were exactly where you are not too long ago and you will be where they are before you know it,"  Leopold replied.  "Perhaps you could start by making a friend or two among the second years.  They might have information that would be quite useful when it comes to your classes.  Don't let the Slytherins or the Ravenclaws intimidate you either.  You're every bit as good as they are and in some cases a fair sight better."

Alice smiled, and looked at her feet. "Thank you Professor. I realize that I could make these friends, and you really just gave me that final push I needed to be able to approach people." She looked up. "This means quite a lot to me. I hope you realize that." It was true. Alice had finally had someone who wanted to back her up for looking for friends of older ages. Whether or not she decided to branch out and try to make friends with Slytherins, she was willing to give it a try.

"Part of my job is to inspire you to excel," Leopold said.  "If I can manage to do that, no matter what else I teach you in the seven years that you are with me, I will have succeeded.  These are lessons that will help you far more in life than anything else I can teach you in a classroom.  Transfiguring straw into string is nothing compared to making the tiniest change in yourself."

He was pleased to see that Alice was taking his words to heart.  Sometimes it took years to make any kind of real connection with a student.