That had taken way more effort than necessary. Note to self: Never attempt to carry a tray of tea and cookies down seven flights of stairs. Zoe help a silver tray by the handles on either side, balancing a full pot of tea, two empty cups, and a plate of cookies. There wasn't much variety in the cookies, shortbread, shortbread with strawberry jelly, shortbread with lemon jelly, Lily hadn't gone out of her way to make much more than that. It was fine with Zoe, this was Mum's idea after all.

Apparently some failed animagus by the name Mr. Woodward was now their caretaker. Joy knew the man-lion personally while he was at St. Mungo's, and had mirrored Zoe a few days prior about it, suggesting she came and welcomed him. Zoe agreed, giving Lily a list of things she'd need, and told her to bring them on Saturday.

Lily had apparated to the common room that morning with everything, selecting out a type of tea and baking the cookies herself. The cups and teapot she brought were nicer than the girl had expected, some of the finer china in the house. If only the Ravenclaw had told the elf to drop it off at the first floor. She had nearly dropped the whole thing three or four times. The tea would certainly be cold by now.

Finally, finally, Zoe reached the door. Aaand it was closed. Just her luck. Now how was she to knock... the girl tried to shift the tray but only managed in practically having on of the cups fall off. "Blimey... this stupid..." Giving up, she set the tray at her feet and drew her wand. "Wingardium Leviosa." The tray rose and hovered at her side.

Zoe knocked with her free hand, opening her mouth to shout something in but figuring, as a caretaker, he wouldn't want any ruckus. She cracked the door enough that her head almost came into the room. "Mr. Woodward, I brought something for you, a little welcome present." View still partially blocked by the door, the girl looked for the man-lion.

When the knock came, Felinus was actually one room over from the office, shredding a pillow with his teeth. Perhaps it was the animal in him, but even though he'd been provided with a perfectly comfortable old mattress piled with pillows and blankets, it didn't feel exactly right without a personal touch. The door between living quarters was open, though, so he could hear the knock clearly enough and lifted his head from the work. "Come on in. The door is open."

He spat out a few feathers and pawed at his mane to straighten it before padding into the office to greet his guest. He expected one of the teachers, or perhaps the Deputy Headmaster. Instead, it turned out to be one of the students, a girl in the blue robes of Ravenclaw. She called that she had a welcoming present for him, and Felinus was touched by the gesture.

"Aren't you a sweet little kitten?" he said, going to the door and pulling it all the way open with his teeth so the girl could step inside. Once she was through he pushed it closed again, using his shoulder. "Do I smell tea? How kind of you. Though I should hope you're not trying to butter me up. I don't play favorites."

The room seemed empty. Was the new caretaker a ghost? Her question was quickly answered when a lion walked out of the room next to her. There was a momentary look of shock, replaced by one of awe. A talking lion. The new caretaker was a bloody talking lion. If that wasn't ten times more amazing than any other caretaker in the history of Hogwarts, Zoe didn't know what was.

She quickly realized she was staring, and looked instead at the door as the lion pushed it open. "Thank you," Zoe said as she walked in. A swish of her wand and the tray was carefully set on Mr. Woodward's desk. The Ravenclaw put her wand back in her pocket.  "Oh no, of course not. My mum told me you were coming, Joy Torret. You might know her as Healer Torret. Mum said I should go say hi, and I figured I'd bring a little something as well." Half-truth. But it'd work.

As she poured her cup of tea, or what would end up being her cup, it occurred to her Mr. Woodward wouldn't be able to pick it up. "I suppose I didn't think out this tea thing well..." Zoe couldn't suggest he lapped it up like Snowy did, he'd get hot, well, hopefully hot, tea everywhere. "Um..."

Zoe poured the second cup halfway full, then hastily drew her wand. "Locomotor." The cup rose without wand movement, and the young witch stowed her wand once more. The cup floated along in the air, where it came to hover beside the lion at a level that he could tilt it himself to pour the beverage into his mouth. "I'm quite good at this charm, swear I won't spill it. I can tilt the cup or you can."

Taking her own cup of tea and figuring the placement of the cookies was good enough, Zoe motioned to the chair on the side of the desk meant for students. "May I sit?"

Felinus no longer possessed the facial muscles necessary to smile, but he would have if he'd been able. "Ah yes. Such a kind woman, your mother. It's nice when such things run in the family."

He nudged one of the old wooden chairs closer to the front of the desk. Hopefully, in a few days it would be replaced by a low table more suitable to his needs, with cushions that could be easily removed for those troublemakers who didn't deserve comfort. But for now he would settled for the wheezing old desk that had haunted the office since Filch's days, which groaned under the weight of the tea set.

Felinus had been about to retrieve a dish of his own from which to partake, but young Torret beat him to the punch, levitating a cup to his level. Another kind gesture, but one that almost made him laugh. He managed to suppress it down to a chuckle. "Yes, of course, Miss Torret. Please, have a set."

He settled on the other side, sitting upright so he could see her over the top of the desk. He lay his mouth gently on the edge of the cup and sipped at it, taking almost half the offering in one swallow. He licked his lips, dislodging a single stray feather he'd missed on his way in, which fluttered to the desk. "Mm. Very nice. Nothing like a good cup of tea." It was bit lukewarm now, almost room temperature, but that was understandable, since it'd come all the way from Ravenclaw.

"How is your mother doing? I should hope nothing too severe has changed in the week I've been gone, but you never know with Saint Mungo's. Is she well?"

Zoe sat down in the chair, sipping her cup. Bleh, practically gone cold by now. Making a bit of a face, the Ravenclaw drew her wand and pointed at the silver tray. She muttered an incantation, and a wisp of bluebell flame, about a big as her thumb, drifted from her wand and landed on the tray.

By the look of the tea set, Zoe knew that these weren't the ones that were enchanted to keep the beverage in them hot or the ones that refilled when empty, unless her father had recently enchanted a new set. What a shame. The girl held her cup over it for a few seconds to warm the liquid left in the cup before picking up the teapot and placing it on top of the magical flame. She took a gulp of the warmer tea in her cup. At least Mr. Woodward didn't seem to mind.

"Mum's fine. Last time I talked to her she said she was dealing with a, how did she put it? 'Co-worker with some emotional issues'.[1]" Zoe paused with a slightly amused smile to take a sip of her tea. "Other than that I assume it's business as usual for her."

Zoe looked up at the lion, noticing the lower level of tea in his cup. It floated over to her, and the Ravenclaw picked up the teapot, filling his cup higher than before. The cup went back to hover by the lion and Zoe put the teapot back on the little blue flame. "Mum didn't tell me that much about you, how'd you get the job as caretaker?"

1.	Monday Morning

"The same as any other applicant: I applied." Felinas shrugged. It was an odd expression coming from a lion, but then again any human expression coming from a lion was liable to be a bit off. "Professor McGonagall seemed a wee bit rushed, to be fair. So many arrangements to be made, so much to come before the end of the semester. Perhaps there was also a healthy bit of sympathy on her side, from one animagus to another. With the Healers unable to rectify my current condition, her talents and those of your Transfiguration professor and the other great minds which this institute attracts are my best chance at returning to a fully human form."

He leaned over and gingerly selected a biscuit with his front teeth. He delicately maneuvered the lemon shortbread to his tea, dunked it twice, and tossed it into the air. He caught it in his mouth and swallowed it in a single gulp before continuing.

"Of course, that's not to say I'm here because of pity. I may be a bit unconventional, but I can do the job as well as any other." He flexed his front paws, their claws tick-tick-ticking against the stone floor. "Once I'm finished settling in we're to begin preparation work for the Yule Ball. I trust you're looking forward to that? Have you made your arrangements yet?"

Zoe sipped her tea as Woodward spoke. It was a standard answer, everything she would have guessed. Even some things her mum had told her. Then he mentioned how the headmistress and Sandusky might help him return to human form. The girl took in a sudden breath of surprise as she tried to take in a mouthful of tea. Mum told her that the healers did all they could, yet never could succeed. He was in there for years.

Though Zoe may have wanted to tell her that he shouldn't get his hopes up, even if it was from dislike of Sandusky, all that came out was coughing. Tea spilled from her lips mostly back into her cup, though drops scattered onto her lap. "I'm okay!" Zoe exclaimed as soon as she got a breath between fits of coughing. She swallowed, cleared her throat, and took a deep breath. "Merlin... Sorry about that. Must have inhaled some tea."

The tea no longer seemed appealing, so the Ravenclaw followed the lion's lead and opted for a biscuit with raspberry jam in the center. "Well, I already had a date if that's what your asking. Alvis Norling, he's a Ravenclaw boy in my year. You'll meet him soon." Zoe took a generous bite of her biscuit, licking a bit of jam from her lips. "I also have my dress robes and such."

A wave of curiosity washed over her. Zoe didn't want to be nosy... yet... "Do you-" She wanted to end with 'have a date?' but if the answer was 'no' Zoe was sure this would be far more awkward if the same answer was presented by a dormmate. "Uh, have dress robes? I mean, not like robes, but any clothes or accessories. A fancy cloak as a replacement for dress robes, that sort of thing." Not that the young witch knew anything about fashion. She just wanted to see him in a pointed hat.