October 22
Staff Room
Approximately 11:00 AM?



October had been quite an interesting month, and the last few days had been particularly interesting. A student had just been outed as a werewolf in front of not only his school, but three other schools at well. A brawl had taken place in the Great Hall, and a few people even got strange injuries. Rumor had it, someone even got stabbed with a fork! There were several students that she wanted to check up  on who had been involved in the brawl, but as of right now they’d most likely be in class. To keep herself busy, she had the honor of showing a certain Dumstrang professor around the school, letting him know where everything was, from classrooms and magical staircases to strange hallways and ‘secret’ student snogging corners.
 
Maiko was pleased that she did not have to wake up horrendously earlier than she needed to today, and for that she was eternally grateful. She would have woken up early to show  Atash Hendurabi around before breakfast, but she knew she would have been snarky, rude, and forever resentful if that had happened. Today she was dressed  in fairly professional attire as usual, with a simple black skirt, purple blouse, and dark robes. Her hair was pulled back as neatly as curly hair possibly could, with the occasional stray strand here and there.

 The tour had gone quite well, even if her colorful box full of danishes had hardly been touched, despite the fact that she had been pestering the poor guy to accept a freakin’ pastry every ten minutes. “And this—this is the most important room in the entire school, besides my office.” She said proudly, placing the box onto the staff room table. “This is where some teachers come to grade papers in the morning, or pour a cup of tea.”  Mai motioned towards the teapot, “Beware of the teapot. You never know what somebody ‘as been brewing. I recommend cleaning it thoroughly if you don’t know who made the current batch.”

Her green eyes rested on the box of danishes, and then focused on Atash, then back to the box. “Please, take a Danish. I made them myself—they’re edible, I promise.” Mai took a bit of pride in her cooking skills, especially when it came to French cuisine. Although she knew how to make all sorts of different types of food, none of it was quite as fun to make as the food she grew up with and around. Her father had been Japanese, but he only made a select few dishes well, as he had never been much of a cook.

“I insist. Just try one.” She paused, “You don’t ‘ave food allergies, do you?” A look of concern swept over her face. Mai wasn’t easily going to forget feeding a student chocolate-covered blueberries, only to realized that he was allergic. Thankfully, his allergy had not made it difficult for him to breathe or function in a healthy manner; it simply turned him blue.

The tour had been quite informative, even if he'd spent most of it declining pastries.  Madam Biladeau-Yukawa -- a mouthful of a name if he'd ever seen one -- was insistent enough to make his grandmother proud.  She had been a good tour guide as well, even if she was a recent hire; it was clear that her years as a Hogwarts student had left her with plenty of knowledge at the school.  He knew a little of it himself from reading Hogwarts: A History, and he'd mentally marked off the passages and corridors that he'd like to go back to examine more carefully.  That was the benefit of spending a year at the foreign school; at least he had plenty of time to conduct side projects.

Now, though, he'd need to accept the offering or risk looking like an ungracious guest.  "Allergies?  No."  Atash chuckled, shaking his head.  Trying not to look resigned, he reached for a pastry.  "Although if I did, I would hate to give away any of Durmstang's weaknesses so readily," he said with a slight smile. "If the plan of the Hogwarts staff is to incapacitate us, you'll have to use trial and error.  Thank you for the Danish," he added politely, raising it to take a bite.  "I am certain that you are a very good cook."

Judging by the first bite, she was indeed.  So far, the counselor herself had been friendly enough.  Durmstrang's staff had a certain stiffness that he liked; the atmosphere there was not welcoming, but neither was it prying nor intrusive, at least so long as one's performance matched the standards.  Still, there was something to be said for the openness of Western Europe.  No Durmstrang veteran would so readily give away information, let alone organize a tour for a newly welcomed outsider.  He half suspected that the reason why Eisenberg had been willing to let Hogwarts host the Tournament two tries in a row was because he didn't want to invite foreigners to Durmstrang.

But that was why they were here -- to learn, to study, and of course to win.  He had not been surprised to discover that Durmstrang was already in the lead after the first task.  Most of the victory in the Tetrawizard Tournament depended on the performance of the  Champions; the staff were merely there as support.   But they still had integral roles to play, and the first part of that was ferreting out information.

"I will have to keep that in mind, about the teapot.  So tell me, Madam Biladeau-Yukawa."  He gave her a half-smile as he shifted topics.  "The integration -- has it been going well?  It must be --"  He paused, brows knitting as he searched for the word.  "Unique to have students from so many schools mixing here together.  They have all been conducting themselves admirably, I trust?"

When he finally accepted a Danish, she completely lit up and gave him a beaming smile. It would not have mattered if he thought she had been the most annoying, pestering, and uninformative host in the world; she was merely happy that he had finally accepted a pastry. And, it had been about time. Maiko wasn’t sure if she was going to have to force feed Atash, or take a few bites of one herself to prove that it wasn’t poisoned. His polite behavior had not come across as cold or distancing, though the mildness was a pleasant surprise. When Maiko thought about Durmstrang, she usually envisioned harsh people who took an almost darker, stricter approach to magic.

“I’ve got no plans to incapacitate anyone.” Mai shook her head in amusement. Some people got so competitive; she could easily imagine them trying to weaken students (or even staff) from the opposing schools. “I’ve been cooking since I was very young--it’s a fun ‘obby of mine.” She sat down in one of the chairs and motioned for the professor to sit down as well. She felt like chatting for a little while and answering questions, so she figured that they might as well get comfortable.

“Just call me Maiko, please.” She preferred to be called by her first name by her peers, though as far as students went, they could call her by either last name. Or simply, ‘Madame.’ Mai raised her dark eyebrows when he asked how the integration was going.  She hadn’t dealt directly with any students who needed help with conflict resolution, nor had she been asked to make sure that the students had adjusted properly. In fact, she was quite surprised that none of the champions had come in to see her—being a champion was a lot of pressure to put on the students, and they seemed to be handling it well.

“I’m not aware of any large problems between the schools. The integration bit seems to be going smoothly.” Maiko said thoughtfully, twirling a stray strand of hair around her index finger. “The only large conflict I’ve even ‘eard of recently was a couple days ago, and even that was between students of this school.” She shook her head, expressing some mild disappointment towards that situation. “More specifically, it was a physical conflict between members of a certain club, and members of Hufflepuff. Which is ironic, since Hufflepuff would be the last house we’d expect that from.”

"I resent that comment about the teapot,"  Leopold said, pouring himself another cup.  "I have only ever brewed good, proper English tea in it, which is to say loose leaf tea imported from India."  He took a sip, then pilfered one of Maiko's pastries.  He took a bite, then shook it at the school counselor. "You've been holding out on us, Miss Biladeau-Yukawa.  Keeping something this good for the visiting professors shows either a crushingly poor sense of professional loyalty to your coworkers or an unseemly determination to debilitate our guests through gastronomic ecstasy."

Although his face seemed serious, there was a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.  "I may have to confiscate these and test them to make certain you are not lacing them with anything.  I may need to get an opinion from some of the other professors as well."

The old transfigurations professor chuckled.  "You drew the lucky straw when it came to a tour guide.  Maiko is both knowledgeable and genial."  He extended his hand to Atash.   "Leopold Sandusky, professor of transfigurations and Head of Hufflepuff.  Welcome to Hogwart's."

It was a distinctly British thing, this emphasis on Sorting; categorizing students when they were barely old enough to categorize themselves.  From what he had seen of Hogwarts-schooled wizards, they clung to the identities even throughout their adulthoods.  Slytherins were sly; Gryffindors brave; and Hufflepuffs apparently non-confrontational, judging by what Miss Biladeau-Yukawa had said.  Atash wasn't certain that he would have liked to view the world through such defined lenses.  It narrowed possibilities, but it also ignored one's capacity for growth and change.

He would have changed the subject as it was -- the best sort of prying was subtly done, and he didn't want to seem too interested in Hogwarts' unrest -- but the new arrival changed it for him.  A wizened man, though several inches shorter than he, dressed in more conservative wizarding fashion.  He had a sense of humor; the look to his eye conveyed that, as well as his creative use of vocabulary.  For not the first time, Atash felt grateful that his English was better than his Norwegian.

"Thank you for the welcome," he replied, reaching out to meet Sandusky's hand with a warm, firm grip.  "And the rescue from debilitating gastronomy, although I am certain that Miss Biladeau-Yukawa intended no affront.  I am Atash Hendurabi," he said simply, inclining his head with the introduction.  "I serve as a Spellworks professor -- comparative magics, spell-casting, different sorts of things.  Durmstrang is a little looser in how we categorize, I think."

Now that he had tasted it, he had to admit that the pastry was quite good.  It was clear that expectations for his social engagement hadn't ended with the tour, and so he took a napkin and an empty chair, seating himself at the table. 

"I'm glad to hear that everything is going so well.  I should extend my thanks again to both of you for having us," he added, with a faint smile as he set the pastry carefully on the napkin before him.  "It would have been Durmstrang's honor to host the Tournament, but I don't think that any of us would decline the chance to escape to a more hospitable climate this winter.  We appreciate you allowing our intrusion."

Maiko had enjoyed Leopold ever since she first met him—he had a neatly groomed beard, and a rather fun sense of humor. She always felt like he and her grandfather would get along swimmingly. She couldn’t think of any situation where they would run into each other; Alphonse was a muggle, and he didn’t know much about magic, aside from the fact that his granddaughter was a witch and had a career involving the magical community. “Aww, Leopold.” She said, “Your tea is lovely, but it’s not always your tea that’s in the teapot!” Mai laughed and shook her head. “I have more sweets in my office if you want to confiscate those, too.” She always kept a supply of food in her office, both for her to snack on and so she can offer treats to those who enter her office.

“Knowledgeable and genial—I sure ‘ope so. I’d be a ‘orrible counselor otherwise.” She raised her eyebrows at Atash when he, once again, called her by her last name. “Monsieur, call me by my first name, sil vous plait.  Or at the very least, just pick one of my surnames—it’s such a mouthful that it’s painful to listen to. ” Mai spoke with a smile that caused her eyes to crinkle up—she hadn’t taken offense, in fact she was amused. Maiko guessed that it was so deeply ingrained in Atash to use polite language that it would be difficult for him to call her anything that was informal.

Durmstrang. The counselor had never thought much about the climate that Durmstrang was in, nor had she ever made a picture in her head as to what the school itself looked like—and Maiko realized she didn’t care. She had never attended the school, she had no intention of teaching there, and she highly doubted that she would ever be invited to visit. If the tournament had been hosted over there, it would have been a different story. But, as it was unlikely at this point in her life that she’d ever see it, Mai refused to let herself be bugged by it.

“Ah, de rien. It’s our pleasure to ‘ave so many visitors. I like getting to know new people,” She paused, “Actually, I like getting to know people. They don’t need to be new.” Oh, the woman was an open book. Mai figured that as a counselor, it was her responsibility to be herself. She had a moral obligation to express her thoughts and feelings in a healthy manner. It was a good example to the students, and it showed that she was not going to push for information that she herself would not be comfortable sharing.

"What school did you attend?" Maiko inquired, leaning back in the chair. He didn't seem like he would have attended Durmstrang, nor did he seem like he would have attended Beauxbatons. If he had attended Hogwarts, there would have been no need for a tour.

"I studied at Gondishapur."  The word rolled off his tongue, conjuring images of limestone cliffs and roaring waterfalls.  Between his time spent as a student and his later return to teach, he had spent far, far longer living in those cool hollowed-out stone hallways than he had anywhere else.  "It is in Iran."

His home institution was very different from the twisting, towering spires of Hogwarts Castle, or even the lumbering, darkened silhouette of Durmstrang.  He had been to Beit Gaddol once, with its underground entrance hidden deep under the white stone streets of Jerusalem's Old City, the long, winding tunnel that led to the campus proper.  That was the closest that any school came to feeling like Gondishapur, though the bustling energy of the Palestinian and Israeli capital city was a pale shadow in comparison to the vivid, quiet countryside of western Iran.

But he did not want to get trapped into talking extensively about home.  Maiko Biladeau-Yukawa had declared her intent clearly; if he was not careful, this conversation would get steered firmly in one direction.  If giving a few answers now would satisfy her curiosity,  then he was happy to oblige, but he didn't want this to turn into a regular event.

He gave a faint smile, waving a hand for Professor Sandusky to join them and sit.  "Not many have heard of it this far west," he said easily, resting his hand on the table.  "Hogwarts, though, is known all over the world.  You must both be proud to be part of the faculty here.  I've heard that the quality of instruction is quite high."

Leopold selected a chair and slid into it with a sigh.  He gave a disapproving look to the small monkey that was in the middle of  what appeared to be an attempt to confiscate his pastry without getting caught.  It feigned innocence, then wrapped its arms around Leopold's neck in a tight embrace.  "Fine, you little thief.  You can have a piece but only because you're too cute to resist."

After handing the monkey a small piece of the pastry, he looked at Atash.  "You're right.  I can't say I've heard of Gondishapur.  You're also correct in that I am very proud to be part of the staff here again, especially since I've managed to become head of my old house.  Badger for life, as they say."

Maiko had never met somebody from Iran, though she had vaguely met people from other Eastern countries in the past. She had never even heard of Gondishapur, and she made a mental note to study up on that institution as soon as possible, and as thoroughly as possible. She gave Sandusky a puzzled look as his little monkey attempted to steal the pastry. She could not, for the life of her, remember it’s name. Buster? Strider? Hunter? She knew it was an ‘er’ name. Maiko had always thought that it was cute, and now she could see that it had a little bit of a mischievous personality.

Proud to work at Hogwarts? The question seemed a bit odd to her, and she raised an eyebrow at the Durmstrang professor. Sandusky, on the other hand, had amused her with his ‘Badger for life’ comment. She had been a Hufflepuff when she attended Hogwarts, though she did feel like they may have sorted children too young. Much of identity formation occurs during adolescence, so to put such labels on children may end up being more detrimental than helpful. That’s not to say that she didn’t think she was a Hufflepuff-- but she had seen many people who embodied the qualities of multiple houses.

“Leopold ‘ere may be proud, but I am not sure that is the correct word to describe the way I feel about working ‘ere.”  She hesitated, “Don’t misunderstand me, I do think this school is absolutely brilliant, and I love working ‘ere.-- but I do not feel like it is an honor to work here as much as it is a privilege. I am incredibly lucky to be working in a field that I’ve loved from a very young age.” Her mother had been a muggle psychologist, and had fostered the love of the human mind and human feelings in Maiko when she had been a small child.

Accurate or not, Leopold Sandusky was helping him to quickly form a mental image of his beloved Hufflepuffs.  Atash stayed silent, watching with faint amusement as the old man wrangled with his familiar.  He gave him another slight smile as he responded to the thinly-veiled question.  Neither statement was a surprise.  Magical society in the west was always rather insular, perhaps to the rest of the world's benefit.  He did not like to think about what could have happened if one of the great dark wizards had turned their attention farther east.

His tour guide from the morning, though, countered the assertion.  Atash paused, giving her a careful, considering look.  An interesting distinction to draw.  Honor, privilege, and service.

"Of course," he said apologetically, inclining his head to her.  "Teaching is always a privilege."  Although she wasn't quite a teacher, from what he had determined.  Atash gave her a mild, curious look. 

"You will have to forgive me for asking, but I am not very familiar with your job title," he said with a frown.  "What do your duties entail as a counselor, Miss Biladeau-Yukawa?  You counsel students on which courses to take?"  He knew there was a faculty member at Beauxbatons that served in such a role, but the exuberant, energetic young woman with the French lilt did not seem as if she'd be so easily enthused by such a dry occupation.  Did the students here take so long to decide on their career paths that advising them was a full time job?

She wasn’t a teacher, but teaching was something that Maiko would definitely be willing to consider if the opportunity presented itself. She was almost unsure as to how to answer his question-- her job almost delved into the realm of psychology, which was a muggle science. That was also something that many magicfolk had a tendency to be hesitant about. So far, there had been a few students that had been making progress who visited her, and she was sure she was going to see more due to the brawl that had happened the previous day.

“I do counsel students on what courses to take, but that is not the only part of my job.” Maiko replied, “I also do some conflict resolution, and I am someone that students can talk to about problems. For some students, I can be seen as a mentor of sorts.” She brought her finger up to her chin thoughtfully, trying to figure out how to verbalize what was running trhough her mind, “I can help students deal with internal conflict and ambivalence about situations that they are dealing with. I also assess risk for students who are being bullied. I may also do some intervention, if it is needed.” She hoped that this explanation would be sufficient; but Mai didn’t feel like it fully covered everything that she did. 

“I can work with staff members as well as students. My primary focus is on the students.” She spoke with a smile in her voice-- Mai loved everything about her job, she loved being able to help people learn how to deal with their stresses in a healthy, efficient manner. She loved learning about how their minds worked.  “I keep a few calming remedies in my office if a student is in immediate crisis, but I ‘aven’t needed to use any yet.”

Maiko gave Atash a grin, silently thanking him for asking. She always felt that it was best to ask questions if you did not understand something. It helped prevent confusion in the future, and it also allowed for a better understanding of the subject-- and who doesn’t want to understand things accurately? 

"You teach spellcasting, yes? What sorts of magic does that cover?"

Atash listened with keen, intent interest, his gaze fixed quietly on her.  This sounded like a distinctly British or American way of dealing with problems: soothing disagreements instead of letting them resolve quietly and naturally in darkened corridors and empty hallways.  Both Durmstrang and Gondishapur were far more hands-off than Hogwarts appeared to be, though Durmstrang was by far the harsher, and both institutions turned out resilient, self-reliant graduates quite regularly. 

The different approach to dealing with students was foreign enough to be intriguing.  He would have liked to inquire further -- politely and discreetly -- but the counselor was already changing the subject again with another question.

"Spellworks," he corrected quietly, with a faint smile.  "But yes, it is mostly spell-casting.  We divide our studies a little less at Durmstrang than you do at Hogwarts."  He cast a glance at the Transfiguration professor, in case the older man wanted to disagree or interject.  "Rather than studying charms or transfiguration, students take classes in Spellworks, Tangible Magics -- like potion-making or herbology -- and Intangible Magics, which are intellectual topics like arithmancy or runic studies.  At the start of their third year, they pick one or two of the three disciplines to focus on."

The system struck him as both advantageous and limiting.  Durmstrang students might not be very well rounded, but they were often among the very best in their field.  And as self-reliant and disciplined as they were, if they needed to know something later in life, he had no doubt that most would have both the drive and the ability to learn on their own.

He gave an easy, effortless shrug.  "Within the Spellworks discipline, we teach different subjects, depending on where need and interests lie.  I am still new, so I tend to mostly fill in," he said succinctly.  The other Spellworks professors, many of them long-time residents at Durmstrang, tended to be very set in their ways.  He hadn't minded picking up the odds and ends when he'd come on after the start of the prior school year.  Variety kept things more interesting.  "Some comparative magic.  Some defensive arts.  Whatever studies are needed, really."

"Much like Hogwart's,"  Leopold said, nodding.  "Our students decide on their focuses much later, however and their grades play a role.  Certain professors require certain grades to continue into their NEWT classes.  It speaks more to competence than desire.  It sounds like Durmstrang concentrates the subjects more than Hogwart's.  Who is to say which way is superior?  Certainly we're seeing an interesting cross section of ability with the tournament.  Different tactics but success on all sides.  Of course if all the schools used the same curriculum, the differences would be less obvious."

Leopold took another sip of tea.  "I suspect our professors have a slightly lessened work load, with the spellwork  divided into multiple disciplines."  Durmstrang's reputation for harshness wasn't seeming to bear out with Atash, although it was possible that the headmaster might change that, given time.  "Does your headmaster take any classes or is he just an administrator?"

Spellworks. She repeated that in her head over and over until she was sure she had connected that position to Atash’s face. Mai detested the idea of connecting a position or a title to someone, but it was unavoidable when you hardly knew the person. She was sure she would be able to associate certain traits with the professor soon enough. She felt it took a special skill set to be able to teach such a broad range of topics. Yes, they were sorted into categories, but there was also so much to learn. It made her wonder how detailed the professors had to get, and how much face time they actually had with students as compared to Hogwarts’ professors.

Mai could imagine that at Durmstrang, students could often get used to a certain teacher’s style easier, once they had chosen a certain pathway. “Does Durmstrang teach special skills, like Legilimency?” She inquired, “Or do those skills require individual tutoring?” Oh, she was fascinated about the way that different schools worked. After all, the only magical school she had ever really been associated with was Hogwarts. She supposed that she could have gone to Beauxbatons, but her parents lived in Ireland for a good portion of her childhood while still nourishing her French heritage, and practically ignoring her Japanese one.

She nodded in agreement as Leopold spoke; she felt like he covered the information about Hogwarts in a rather neat summary, and she gave him a mild, approving smile.

“I ‘ope that we aren’t overwhelming you with questions.” Mai grinned shamelessly, and her eyes gave away her mild amusement.

The mage gave a quiet laugh, smiling faintly as he rubbed his chin.  "That is the point of this, I think?" he asked, his eyes dancing with amusement.  "To ask questions and to learn.  It is as much for us as for the students, I would guess.  Building bridges, breaking down barriers --"  He waved a hand, in a way that didn't make it clear whether he approved or just found the entire idea mildly entertaining.  "It is all very forward thinking."

He smiled back at Leopold.  "No, our Headmaster finished taking classes when he graduated years ago," he said, with only the barest hint of wryness.  "He does not teach any, either, though I understand that he was a professor once.  It would be too much, I think -- there is plenty to do in order to keep the school running."

He turned his gaze onto Maiko, his face unreadable, studying her silently for a moment.  "Most of that is done through private tutoring," he said after a beat.  "The most promising students -- the Oberteil -- they are given access to special studies if they show interest and ability.  In small groups, or individually." 

He shook his head, his expression relenting as he gave a chuckle.  "But I hope I am not giving away too many of our secrets by telling you that," he said dryly, giving the counselor a slight smile.   "Why?  Are you interested in starting a class on the subject, Miss Biladeau-Yukawa?"