It was strange being back inside Hogwarts.  It was all so familiar, yet so distant, and Moira felt a bit out of place walking into the Great Hall.  She could still see it as it had been the first time she entered, despite the change to the set up.  She could still remember the faces of all the others in her year as they made their way to the front to be sorted.

Returning to the present, she took a moment to look up at the names of the fallen on the banners.  A few she recognized, some were friends who were lost in the battle.  The senselessness of it all still puzzled her sometimes.  She had been so young at the time, barely grasping the concept of growing into a teenager, never mind the idea of war and death.  She wasn't sure that even her adult mind would have been any better equipped to truly process it all.

She moved to the side slightly, not yet wanting to take a seat, but also not wanting to block the main entry way.  She wasn't sure what had compelled her to come to the Welcoming Ceremony.  Her original plan had been to attend the later Memorial Ceremony only.  Looking up at the banners again, taking time to read each name, she lost herself again for a moment in her thoughts.

The welcoming ceremony before the big memorial was first conceptualized as a means for different walks of life to gather and talk amongst themselves. Poetry, music, and speeches had quickly become a staple, as it was established from the beginning that there were some who wanted to express themselves but couldn't during the big memorial ceremony for one reason or another.

It was always tastefully done, and Marcus was thankful of that. The Great Hall at Hogwarts was an excellent place to hold such a gathering, and it's layout had been customized this night to suport the volume of people, as well as the weight of the evening. Black banners replaced the House banners, and flashed the names of those who had died. While the banners were indeed enchanted, it was the school itself that seemed to assist with the actual names. Marcus had to admit it was a little unsettling, if not also simply astounding.

Marcus had been in the Great Hall for the last hour now, checking and double checking the work personally. It was something he did every year, even if it wasn't necessary. For him, it was a way to personally reflect on matters past, as well as present. He saw movement out of the corner of his eye, and glanced in that general direction. It was Moira Randall, and Marcus smiled.

"Glad to see you could make it," Marcus said as he walked over to meet her. "You look... amazing." Marcus took a step back to drink her in. Considering that she didn't completely confirm whether or not she was going to show up earlier today, she had certainly made her entrance. "My apologies about earlier at lunch. When Alex and I get into the same space together, we kind of... well, it's hard to explain. We have a way we talk that sometimes people don't get. It can be a little off-putting for some."

Moira was drawn from her thoughts as she saw someone approaching her.  She smiled as her eyes focused on Marcus, ignoring the slight fluttering of butterflies in her stomach as he made his way over.  She had felt something similar earlier when she had entered the Ministry to meet him for lunch, but she didn’t analyze the feeling too closely.

"You look... amazing."

She tried not to blush a bit as he took in her appearance.  She had spent entirely too much time that day considering what to wear, both to lunch and to Hogwarts.  She was certainly not the type to spend hours thinking about clothing, or hair, or makeup.  It was yet another thing she would leave for later when she had time for further analysis.

“Thank you,” she replied, softly, her smile growing a bit as it reached her eyes.

"My apologies about earlier at lunch. When Alex and I get into the same space together, we kind of... well, it's hard to explain. We have a way we talk that sometimes people don't get. It can be a little off-putting for some."

“Not at all,” she said, smirking a bit at the memory of the pair’s behavior at lunch.  “I found most of it to be amusing…”  Accept of course that Alex feels the need to have extra security on you tonight.  She didn’t say it out loud, but the thought had been plaguing her mind the rest of the day, along with a few other things that had been revealed during lunch.

She trusted everything would be under complete control, but she hadn’t really considered the possibility of someone trying to harm Marcus.  Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew it was a possibility, life was full of uncertainties for them all, but she had not truly thought about it until Alex had mentioned assigning a Hitwizard to him.

"I'm not worried about myself. My concern is for everyone else. There have been rumblings concerning possible problems that might occur, and I can't help but think that your abduction was the start of something more. I can't say much more on the matter, security issues being what they are. No offense." It was true that Marcus was less focused on his well-being than others were. That was their job though, and that gave Marcus a bit of relief.

"I don't want to linger on all of the negatives, because it's kind of a waste of time. Remembering Day exists to focus on the positives, and I hope to be able to reflect that." Marcus felt like switching gears, for fear of becoming too preachy. At least, too preachy before his speech later in the evening. "I don't know if you're aware of how this welcoming ceremony works, but there are speeches made by some of the survivors, as well as some music. There's also poetry, which I know I had mentioned earlier."

"I was wondering if you'd reconsidered your decision to read something for everyone tonight. I know you're a little hesitant, and I'm definately not going to push you, but I think you'd be great up there."

Alex yawned.  What time was it?  Like six o'clock?   And it was a thursday.  It felt so strange to be in the Great Hall of Hogwarts.  It all served as a reminder of days that had gone by.  Regardless of the years that had passed, the Great Hall hadn't really changed.  The enchanted ceiling only supported the way the Great Hall had been decorate, but beneath it all, regardless of the furniture and decorations.  It was still the same Great Hall that had welcomed ages and ages of Witches and Wizards.  Now it seemed to mourn in a way, as names of those who had been victims, and some of them hero's in a war against one wizard.

Many of those names went to Hogwarts, if not all of them.  It made Alex feel somewhat serene and more observant than he might usually be.  He stood on one side of the Hall, leaned up against the wall.  He was wearing his new outfit chosen by Tamis for him to wear for the majority of the Remembering Day events.  It clearly showed that he was from a position of power.  However he had to wonder if he would ever be standing where he was if the terrible events had happened oh so many years ago.  If Tom Riddle never became Lord Voldemort, would any of the Auror's had even sought the path they were on?  Alex knew that part of his reason to be an Auror was because of the First Rise of Voldemort.

Despite what reason any of them had, they were now past that.  There was no longer a Dark Lord.  No one to lead a group of wizards that followed the whim of one man, regardless of what he believed.  That fear was gone.

Alex looked to see Marcus chatting with Moira Randall.  Nothing unusual.  He was in all honesty not expecting anything to happen on this night.  It would be stupid to cause a ruckus at the start of things.  It would put his entire department on high alert.  Security was still more than it had been in the past but that was because he couldn't just tighten some events and not others.  It would look too suspicious. 

He seriously hoped that all the bad vibes he had been getting about the Remembering Day events would be just him being incredibly paranoid.  He would love to be wrong.  Unfortunately that had yet to be the case with anything.  Alex silently watched as more arrived and the night slowly began to move on.

Hogwarts School to Gabrielle had many significiant meanings to her,  of which included the memories of her own days and of course, the anniversaries of the Great Battle. The memories of hiding children and protecting them gave some comfort, but knowing and recalling the faces of the fallen still seemed to haunt her. Entering the Great Hall, it was as though she was looking at her memories through a pensieve. A soft, yet mournful sigh escaped her lips. It was perfectly well to remember and good too, however, it seemed the castle still showed its scars from the past.

Her eyes glanced around the room, including to stop and look at the names of the fallen. A few she recognized, including some of those she had fought together with. Hm. Such terrible things occurred here but out of it all, some good had come from it. Students still receiving an education and not to mention, future generations remembering their histories of the events. Sure, not everything was spoken out about or written what happened that fateful year, but it was good it was discussed.

Eventually, her eyes found Marcus and Mrs. Randall, shortly then after was Alex. A mother-like smile appeared as she headed over to him, tapping gently on his shoulder as to not completely startle him. "Evening, Alexander," she said rather quietly, her eyes glimmering all but for a moment as she soon stood next to him, feeling as though the air was thickening with airs, both ill and good.

"It's really good to see you, friend."

Like before at the Signature Covi was nervous and it showed in her eyes, which tended to turn fluorescent, nearly glowing right out of their sockets.  While her mother’s eyes carried this gaze whenever she was not in a familiar environment… which was a whole heck of a lot these days considering how society had changed—the smaller witch’s only did it occasionally.  This was one of those occasions.

Thankfully it was not about her or her environment, it was about her brother who was going to accompany her tonight.  Today was one of the first times he had been out of the house that didn’t include a check-up at the hospital.  Her brother and his family had been there with them the whole day, which must have helped his situation, and he had fared well thus far, but being on a stage?  Well, she just didn’t know.

Sitting in the wing opposite the one all the Hogwarts children’s choir were gathering with Celestina, Covadonga often found herself running around the corner and poking her head out one of the doors that led to the audience to see what was up.  The Hall seemed to be filling exponentially.  Ah! and she had spied three people she knew already!  Alex and Marcus from work, and the lovely Mediwitch Randall who had stitched up her leg earlier that morning were all standing about the, latter two talking to one another.  She made a note to catch Moira and thank her for those lovely pain tonics she had given her before she left.  They certainly helped her around in these god-forsaken heels.

Sighing, she continued to peek around, waiting for the lights to dim twice, the sign that the show was soon to begin.

Outfit

Fauna stood in the corner of the wing, trying to be invisible. She heard the voices in the Great Hall grow louder and louder and it made her extremely nervous. Her hands fidgeted with the sleeves of her dress robe and her heart beat fast, completely out of rhythm with the first song they would be singing. Celestina Warbeck, their choir director, looked magnificent in royal purple dress robes that would have seemed gaudy on anyone else. Currently, she was telling a second year to go back to her dorm and brush her hair. Fauna reached up to touch her own locks self-consciously.

Then Celestina stood up straight and scanned the cluster of students with her hawk-like gaze. Fauna stepped further back against the wall. It wasn’t that she was scared of her, not exactly, but the woman was so confident and so commanding that she seemed to have a difficult time relating to the more hesitant, nervous students. If someone’s voice was off pitch or they weren’t singing loud enough, Celestina let them know. Their performance reflected on her, after all.

Somehow, Celestina found Fauna in the crowd and hurried over. As Celestina’s gaze swept over her, Fauna worried that she too, would be sent back to the dorms to fix her hair or her clothes. She balled up her hands to hide her fingernails, which still had paint underneath them.

“There you are. You’re on time,” the director nodded, satisfied. “But where are the other sixth years? Where’s that girl with the strong, rich voice? ...Ava!” She snapped her fingers.

Fauna shrugged. “I… I don’t know. We’re not in the same-“

“I need you to go out there and round up the other students. I told everyone where to meet, but some of them don’t listen very well," she sighed. "Find the other students, please, and come back in… five, seven minutes?”

Fauna opened her mouth to protest but Celestina swept away quickly, and Fauna stood in place for another moment.

She glanced over at the door leading to the Great Hall. Why couldn’t people just be on time? Why did they have to inflict this misery on her? Why did she have to-

Celestina caught her eye and made frantic shooing motions at her. Fauna jumped, and then hurried out of the wing.

She stepped into the Great Hall, which was already filled with people. She crept gingerly around them, apologizing too much and getting stuck behind those who couldn’t hear her say ‘excuse me’ several times. Fauna studied the sea of faces, trying to find other students in the choir, contemplating bringing any student back with her just to appease Celestina, and then finally spotting someone she recognized.

Fauna waved at them with the desperation of a castaway trying to flag down a rescue ship. Even finding one person was better than finding none.

Ava ran down the stairs to the entrance hall, her dark green dress robes flying furiously behind her. Her hair was tied up in a loose bun at the back of her head, some of her dark brown hair hainging down, framing her face. She jumped the last two stairs just in time to see Fauna walking into the great hall looking flustered, and Celestina Warbeck looking furious.

"Ah! Ava - get your little hiney into the great hall now! And where are your other choir-mates?" Ava's only reply was a shrug as Celestina shook her head as though trying to swat away an annoying fly. "Never mind, I shall go find them myself!" She announced dramatically, and whipped off out into the courtyard that was bustling with people of all ages.

Ava watched Celestina go, then remembered that Fauna was in the great hall. She began to run again, across the marble floor of the entrance hall and through the large wooden doors of the great hall. there were so many people there already. Ava felt her heart sink, and her stomach fly up into its place. Public displays of anything weren't Ava's thing - she didn't like attention on this sort of scale. Her mother's words rang through her ears. "You know you'll never look as good as that girl up there." Ava shook her head to block the words out.

She stood up on her tip-toes and peered over as many heads as she could. She caught sight of the willowy girl making a quick beeline for another student who Ava wasn't too familiar with. As far as Ava could see, there was nobody else she knew here. Atticus wasn't thereyet, and probably wouldn't make it until the ceremony was about to start. Ava took her feet as fast she she could, winding through the crowds. "Fauna!" She called, waving her hand up over the crowd so that the girl could see.

"I'm not worried about myself. My concern is for everyone else. There have been rumblings concerning possible problems that might occur, and I can't help but think that your abduction was the start of something more. I can't say much more on the matter, security issues being what they are. No offense."

“None taken,” Moira said, almost automatically.

She knew there would be certain topics that would probably always be off limits, especially in public situations.  The mention of the abduction caused her carefully controlled expression to falter a bit, but she recovered quickly.  She certainly hoped he was wrong; she wasn’t sure what she would do if she had another encounter with Marc Donnelly.

"I was wondering if you'd reconsidered your decision to read something for everyone tonight. I know you're a little hesitant, and I'm definitely not going to push you, but I think you'd be great up there."

Moira couldn’t help but smirk slightly at him as she said, “Well…I don’t actually have anything with me this evening.  Besides, my poetry readings are strictly private, and I’m very choosey about my audience.”

She gave him a quick wink as she spoke, her smirk turning into a smile once more.  The room was starting to fill with others and she thought she had seen Alex arrive out of the corner of her eye.  However, she was focused on her conversation with Marcus despite the growing noise around them.

“To be honest I’ve never made it home for this before.  I’m very interested to see what the others might share.”

Arianna swept into the hall, an expression of pure thunder marring her otherwise pretty features. If anyone had been present who knew her well, it would have been recognised as the potentially dangerous break point of many days of simmering. Arianna wasn't known for outwardly showing emotions. 

She had seen the force known as Celestina as soon as she had entered the crowd in the courtyard, the purple robes made it difficult not to, but no matter what routes Arianna had taken to avoid her, she had still managed to crash into her path like a well aimed bludger in order to pass on a few little pre performance tips and hurry her into the hall. 

Arianna ground her teeth just thinking about it....smile more indeed. She was a pianist not Mrs Blanc tooth serum advert. She was quite sure that the person who had managed, by the rather unsavoury techniques of bribery and blackmail, to coerce her into this, that particular facial expressions had never been mentioned. No jobwas worth this much hassle and grief.     

Only three years before, she had been on her toes, dicing with danger and setting her wits against the world. Now she was walking back into her old school hall, clutching a handful of, quite possible doxie infested, music sheets and ready to accompany the school choir. How, exactly, had life come to this?  She had some satisfaction in the fact that it would not be for much longer....her life had taken a more interesting turn already.


   

Outfit

Having gone home to change out of her work clothes, Claudia made her towards the familiar Great Hall at Hogwarts.  If he was sticking to the schedule, Marcus would have arrived an hour ago to ensure everything was set up according to the plan that had been laid out.  She had learned in years past to allow him the space to do without interference from her and so she had gone home to get ready for the evening.

She took it all in for a moment, smiling with relief that everything had come together exactly as planned.  With the added pressure of it being the ten year anniversary she had gone over lists and documents time and time again to make sure nothing had been left to chance.  With any luck the evening would go without a hitch, but she didn't want to jinx it.

Looking around, she saw Marcus talking to a young woman.  She couldn't hear what they were saying, but she noticed the woman smile and wink at him.  She wondered if this was the Ms. Randall he had gone to meet for lunch earlier.  She hadn't dared go to the atrium to sneak a quick peak, even after returning from her own lunch time meanderings.

She left them alone, knowing soon enough the festivities would begin and her boss would not have a spare moment for a quick chat with anyone.  So, she waited, moving to the side of the door, watching others come in. 

"Evening, Alexander,"

Alex instantly recoignized the familiar voice as Gabrielle Murray-Harker.  A friend from back when he attended Hogwarts himself.  So long ago it almost seemed like it was a different lifetime.  Things had certainly been different then.  That was also during the time of the First Rise of Voldemort, so perhaps thats why it seemed so long ago.  He turned towards her and smiled back.

"It's really good to see you, friend."

"And you as well Gabrielle.  It has been much too long since I've seen you.  Strange since we both work in the same building," he laughed somewhat amused by the fact.  "Perhaps you'll have to come visit with me some time in the near future.  We could have a movie night just like we used to."

Alex had been so focused on the events that had been happening in the last month that it was hard to keep up with his social life.  Gabrielle was one of his rather few friends from Hogwarts.  In that department he had Jasmine, Gabrielle and Aurora...and he rarely saw any of them.   The only one he saw on a regular day basis was Marcus Annwyl.  Then again after being partners for so many years it was hard to break that habit.  Especially that with the positions the two of them were now in made it important that they talked regularly anyway.

He wondered if there would be many attending the welcoming ceremony.  After all the real Memorial service wouldn't be until the next day.  For the moment he would stop thinking about all of that and enjoy a conversation with Gabrielle.

Saffron tugged at her light blue sleeve, an annoyed scowl present on her face. Her mum was usually a bit laid back as far as school things went and she'd allowed (how horrible that word sounded to Saffron's ears) Saffron to do her own thing for the play seeing as Saffron's character had been well-known for her eccentric taste in dress and...well, everything. But the Welcoming Ceremony was a whole other ballpark, to borrow a muggle term. And Saffron had found herself shoved into the soft, silky light blue dress robes, black flats with an inconspicuous bow on the front, more makeup on her face than Saffron had ever worn before ('So they can see your face, Saffy darling!"), her currently blonde hair pulled high into a bun and hidden beneath the small wizarding hat her mother had told her she just had to use.

The effect of it all was that Saffron felt like a clown. And, the clown she was, she was stuck one huge mob of people away from where she assumed the rest of the crowd was.

"Um, 'cuse me, 'cuse me!" she cried, unheard amongst the bustle of shouting and laughter as people attempted to find their seats. Saffron wiggled her way through it, toppling onto a particularly large man with a squeak and a "very sorry, very sorry, really!" before she finally managed, slightly panting to reach the area where she was supposed to be. "Ugh!" Saffron complained to the person nearest to her. "This is a mad house!"