Sneaking away wasn't always easy for the Healer, especially during the first few weeks of true winter as people adjusted to an icier world once more.  Tulojow's visit had been delayed on several occasions as last minute twisted ankles, stuffy noses and one ice-cold-lake-drenched third year came bumbling through the door.  But, the Hospital Hut had remained quiet for a full 18 hours and Tulojow had seized the opportunity - only sending Kalie, her messenger eagle, with the last-minute notice of her arrival as a mere formality.  Knox would be lucky to have more than five minutes between the message's arrival and Tulojow, herself.   

"As I said, don't hesitate to come and nab me," Tulojow repeated, handing the elf an exact enough description of the location of Knox' house to allow the elf to apparate to her and back with her in the case of an emergency. 

Pippy, the House Elf, nodded and rolled her eyes, yet one of the latest indications that the elf had been spending too much time around the students in the cabin.  "Go, go, Miss!  Pips can handle it!  Pips will find you if anyone comes!  Go!  Get out!  Have fun![/i]"

Still a house elf with generations of engrained wizarding law, Pippy did her best to physically shoo Tulojow out of the Hospital Hut without actually touching the witch.  Tulojow shook her head and finally shut the cabin door behind her and, walking cane in hand, made her way slowly to just beyond school grounds.  The next moment, she was standing at the end of the walk leading up to the small, stone house. 

"I see how it is," Tulojow called before she'd even reached the overhang, her voice full of mirthful joshing.  After all, she wasn't entirely sure Kalie had beat her here; she couldn't hear any annoyed squawking for meaty tidbits.  "Leaving an old lady standing out in the cold." 

The weather in Kent wasn't so bad as all that, but it wasn't suited for standing on stoops.  The master of the very small stone house was up in the bathroom grooming his beard, which now streaked with grey at the corners of his mouth and grew wildly now that he was an acursed werewolf.  But he'd just settled Tulojow Nagde's message eagle in the small sheltered owl cote out back and had rushed upstairs to make himself presentable.  He was hoping for a few minutes before the witch herself arrived.

The house was small enough that he heard her voice carry up, her clear American way of speaking and he patted down his sideburns and pulled at his whiskers to get them into the proper shape.  Like a lad of seventeen, he Apparated down the stairs and flung open the door.

"Come in, come in!" he greeted in a booming baritone.  He stepped to the side to allow the small witch to pass into the single room the occupied the lower level of the house.  It was combination sitting room, den, and open-hearth kitchen, and most surfaces were covered with papers and books.  Open on the table was the ornate invitation from Hogwarts, an invitation for the former Headmaster to come to a ball.

He shut the door after her, beaming.  There weren't many that Knox held above Tulojow Nagde.  Perhaps these things mattered less and less as the years aged on, but she was old enough to be his mother.  But flimsy she wasn't, and he respected her a great deal.  "Your eagle's out back with Devlin's leftover roast."

The bear-like man fussed with a cushion on a chair, freeing up a space to sit, and moved over to the heart to get some water heating.  "Glad you could finally get here.  Busy at the school, then?"

Tulojow smiled warmly at Knox, placing a hand briefly on the man's shoulder in greeting as she stepped inside.  The respect the former Headmaster held for Tulojow was unquestionably mutual and not just because the man had offered Tulojow a position at Hogwarts following her injury and sudden retirement from the Auror office.  He was honest, down to earth and passionate without lending towards the unnecessarily dramatic.  Unquestionably wizardly without being pompous or arrogant.  And, the man's cozy and cluttered home was a shining mirror to Knox, himself. 

The warmth from the fire was quite welcome as Tulojow propped her walking cane by the door.  "He's trained you well," Tulojow remarked when Knox spoke of the eagle, glancing towards the back.  "There's something to be said for the lower maintenance owls.  At least he's got some companionship with all the Americans around." 

Grimacing against the all-too-familiar grating of bones in her knee, Tulojow took the offered seat.  "Each year, I think things can't get any crazier than the previous year."  Tulojow tugged her pipe from her pocket, filled and lit it.  "Yet, each year seems to prove me wrong.  Dragon Pox.  Some strange new Professors," Tulojow looked to Knox with eyebrows lifted to further emphasize the description.  "- and all the usual suspects.  Enough to lead a woman to permanently abscond with a school house elf.  It's good to have Minerva back, though." 

Now that the water was well on its way, Knox freed up the other armchair.  He had to move aside a stack of scrolls from the Ministry archives and slide a few books over to the desk, but in a moment he was able to get settled.  Before he did, though, he paused and pointed a finger towards Madam Nagde.   Pointing to emphasize, appreciate and agree with the wonderful ability of Hogwarts to constantly surprise.  Perhaps it was easier to smile now that he wasn't responsible for any of it...

He nodded vigorously and muttered, "yes, yes," when she mentioned Dragon Pox; he'd seen that in the papers.  Even put his two knuts in with someone from the Minister's office.  And while he couldn't relate to any of the specifics of the other things she mentioned, he believed her.  Hogwarts was good at that, too.  Attracting the perfect reagents for the most potent potion.

"She's a legend.  Imagine our luck to have her back."

The tea kettle started singing and Knox jumped up, ready to continue on with their chat.

"Devlin's doing fine as can be expected," he started in on his teenage son who was working in Diagon.  "And you've no doubt seen little Lucy at Hogwarts."  Lucy was Devlin's half-sister and a first year.  "Also saw Clementina Ainsley in the Atrium.  Did you know her?  But right, you knew Fauna Blake.  The Fayette boys, Grace Eddy? They're all thriving in the Corps as far as I hear."  He could go on and on about his favorite students, especially those who where making it out in the world.

The tea was steeping and the cups ready.  "Peckish?" He had some bread and jam.

Tulojow took one brief, shallow breath, smelling the muskiness of old papers and both old and fresh smoke.  A moment later, the Healer took another, larger, lung-stretching breath and relaxed back into her seat as she exhaled.  This was nice, getting away for however long she could.  There was no telling how long the respite would last.  The lull back at the cabin could continue and the evening could end on its own schedule or the elf could appear at any moment to draw her back.  But, after a lifetime as an Auror and a Healer, she was used to the unpredictability and had learned to capitalize fully on any opportunity for respite when it presented itself. 

"She's a great woman," Tulojow confirmed with a grin.  "Didn't know her much before in the educator capacity - only knew her during the conflicts."  She'd known Minerva mostly through the Order.  Until Knox had appointed Tulojow to the school those few years back, the witch had had little reason to associate much with the school.  The Battle of Hogwarts had, of course, been the exception. 

"Between her, Hooch and myself, the old ladies certainly seem to be taking over the castle."  Given a few of their new staff members, it was probably not a bad thing. 

Tulojow nodded at the offer of bread and jam while barely digressing from the conversation.  "What's Devlin doing with himself these days?  How's he adjusting to the new state of things?"  She was hoping he was continuing on a solid path.  She'd seen far too many young men find themselves too far down the wrong road to ever turn back.  Luckily, he seemed to have managed to avoid the long trek. 

"Yes, I do need to pay a visit to the Auror office."  Raynor did seem to get lucky this once.  They got a solid bunch of new recruits, with only a few misfits in the bunch.  And only one of the Fayette's with the potential for rivaling Tulojow in the ability to induce headaches in the supervisors. 

Tulojow grinned.  "My great nephew is now strolling through the Hogwarts castle with his American cohorts.  The only other in my family to catch the wizarding bug.  I'm not sure they quite know what to do with him, yet." 

Knox answered vaguely about the details of Devlin's undertakings, waving his hand and saying something about making an honest living and the strange hours and a girlfriend.  In reality, Devlin's situation was far from cherry sweet.  His convict past and near-successful attempt on his life loomed every day.  Knox knew there were things going on that Devlin didn't tell, but there wasn't much he could do, as much Raynor had told him.  Nay, ordered him to stay out of it. 

But the topic moved on and the tea, bread and jam arranged themselves, warm and rich.  Knox directed them into levitate to Tulojow and his own Knox carried over himself.

"Oh! You've got a Champion hopeful in the game!  I didn't know you had a nephew."  He took a sip from his cup.  "Take after you? A principled warrior? Full of vinegar and nightshade?  Terrifying to all but the best of us?"

He smiled wryly and gestured that she was welcome to share in the bread.

Tulojow smiled proudly, nodding her head.  "Leonard," she offered as introduction to her nephew.  "Unfortunately, he didn't meet the qualifications for my alma mater.  On account of him being a wizard."  Though, aside from his gender, Tulojow doubted Leonard would have been a good match for the all-witches school. 

"From what I can tell, he seems to be leaving many in the castle intrigued.  I'm not sure most of them know what to make of him."  The Healer leaned forward to help herself to some bread.  Whether he'd be chosen as a champion remained to be seen. 

"He doesn't quite match the typical champion profile but, then, the goblet's choices seem to indicate there's not much of a typical profile.  It has been an interesting competition though this is my first one so I don't know how typical it is.  Have you made it to any of the tasks?" 

She peeled the crust and chewed it thoughtfully.  "I do have a tournament-related dilemma that I'm hoping you'd be able to help me with.  Minerva has requested that staff members be accompanied by a, please excuse the term, Date at the Yule Ball.  While I can't promise to be the most light-footed of dance partners, I was hoping you'd join me."

"The first," he answered.  "And I listened to what I could of the second on the Wireless,"[1] he answered simply and would have been happy to comment on his opinions of the Goblet's picks and how they'd done Hogwarts proud and all that.    But he'd taken a sip of tea and in the meantime, Tulojow changed the topic.

Her introduction of her dilemma immediately intrigued him.  He loved being asked for advice and even more giving his opinion.  At first he was sure she'd be asking after his experience with Hogwarts or perhaps something his position as Junior Elder of the Wizengamot might help with but no! Quite the contrary in every way.

Knox indelicately coughed into his hand and went into an unflattering little fluster.  "I... well - are you not?  I'm not...!"  His own stammering seemed to delight him and in a moment he was laughing at his own floundering.  "Merlin, I'm yet thirteen apparently, by my reaction.  Madam, of course."

He wiped his beard with a napkin and nodded to himself.  "I'd like that very much.  We shall be dates to the Yule Ball.  Merlin's beard, Minerva, I should have expected no less." 

Still a little flustered - more flustered that he had been flustered - Knox stood up and retreived his own invitation.  There were no such instructions that he procure accompaniment, and he hadn't planned to.  He held a very dim torch for his ex-wife who he hadn't seen in a very long time, and he tended to live a monastic lifestyle. That was how Devlin so lovingly put it...  But Tulojow Nagde wasn't asking for more than a companion, surely, and that was well within his capabilities.  And was certainly flattering to have been counted.

1.	The Wizarding Wireless Network broadcast live coverage of the second event.

It was nice to know that the mysticism of Ball Dates was not something that mellowed too with age.  Apparently, despite near a century of real life experience between the two of them, it may just as well have been their first time a girl had asked a boy to escort her to the dance floor. 

Knox' reaction was of course, endearing.  And, admittedly, Tulojow was more than a little relieved to find the ritual of finding a dates to proms or balls had not grown dull over the years. 

"Oh goodness," Tulojow laughed, shaking her head, making no attempt to hide her amusement at his reaction.  "Thirteen was an unflattering age for the best of us.  I wouldn't wish a revisit on anyone." 

Tulojow watched, quietly, as Knox rose to his feet to fetch his own invitation.  As an observer, it was difficult to say what had prompted him to do so - whether it had been a mild curiosity about the invitation triggered by her request or something a bit more introspective.  Whatever the reason, Tulojow allowed a few moments to pass in silence before speaking again. 

"I haven't yet picked a gown, just in case you feel any need to match."  The words felt about as foreign to the Healer as they probably sounded coming from her.  She could count the number of times she'd needed to dress formally on both of her hands.  The times when such formality dictated gowns were all but non-existent.  Gowns were, generally, suited to those with much more youthful appearances and figures.

Knox looked up from the invitation and shook his head with play-acted fear.  "I have no such dark intentions, madam.  The machinations of such things are a mystery to me, shrouded in shadow."

Then he smiled, "In gown or bathrobe, I'm sure we'll not be any kind of focus in this affair.  The Wild Being," he interrupted himself to read aloud the entertainment listed on the invitation.  "Never heard of them."  There could be heard a faint curmudgeonly harrumph.

"I have to say it'll be nice to simply attend something like this.  It's difficult for me to consider any Hogwarts business without letting my mind wander to how such a thing can be organized, funded, and all the parents kept off my heels.  When really I should practice letting other people worry about all that.  Is it wrong," he asked with a smile that revealed the question was rhetorical, "to happily let all of this fall to Ignan and Minerva?  Merlin, a Tournament."

Tulojow laughed and nodded her head.  It would probably come as a surprise to no one that matching outfits wasn't really her thing.  However, there was one minor source of disappointment: Tulojow had absolutely no idea what she would wear to this little shindig and striving to match someone else's outfit would at least give her some concrete direction.  Her style wasn't really one that blended well with formal wizarding style. 

But, she'd figure something out.  Somehow. 

"Luckily, not," Tulojow agreed.  The focus of everyone's attention would, undoubtedly, be on the Champions and the visiting dignitaries.  Which, Tulojow supposed, Knox could be counted amongst.  "The Wild Beings came out with a couple new hits in the last few months.  One's privy to quite a bit of gossip while patching up broken noses and stopping up running ones." 

Tulojow pursed her lips in thought for a few moments before shaking her head.  "Old habits are slow to die.  Especially when they involve things we once threw ourselves into heart and soul.  Goodness knows I have yet to shake the urge to sit down and write a Ministry report every time something suspicious happens.  But, I think it's absolutely appropriate - and healthy - to let go of what you no longer have control over.  And, enjoy the evening with all its pompous drama."

"Pompous drama, indeed," Knox echoed cheerfully.  He knew himself and he wasn't totally in disagreement that he himself was pompous from time to time.  It was better to know one's reputation well, he always thought, than to have it be an unflattering rumor.  But an event in invitations like those could very easily, perhaps deliberately, err on the side of pompous.

Just talking with Tulojow was making him look forward to it more and more.  He settled back in his chair, happy for her perspective and commiseration at their duties past and current. 

"They'll all be there, won't they," he said happily.  "They are letting the students attend, I hope? At least the older ones, yes?  Merlin, it'll be wonderful to see them.  Probably grown up like stalks now..."  His mind was rolling through the students he'd come to know in his years there.  Fussy Eirene Antonopoulos, trouble-incarnate Derry Flanagan, the tumultuous O'Connor twins.  Ah, and of course his Hufflepuffs.  Winifred Oliver, Teagan Bell, Zel Trumble, Angie Lemon... 

"How are they all doing, Tulojow?" he asked curiously.  He missed that about Hogwarts.  Youth had always given him so much energy, and as a Wizengamot Elder it was all old farts like himself doing the grown-up business of running the country.  But being a teacher had been his life's work and nothing had made it matter more to him than interacting with the strange beings the children always were. 

Tulojow grinned at the man, nodding her head.  "Indeed.  They'll all be there.  Some of them have had their share of growth spurts.  Others are still wishing for them. The usual trouble making suspects will be trying to avoid the regular black eyes and hexed complexions before the big day."  There were more than a few students who tried to avoid the Hospital Hut at all costs but most, if not all, finally found their way through her doors at some point.  And, there were a handful of faithful, frequent fliers.  They typically knew their way around the Hospital Hut as well as she did. 

"They're allowing all years to attend, from what I understand."  Tulojow took a sip of her tea before lowering the cup just enough to waggle a finger at Knox in amusement.  "Perhaps, despite better judgement.  You left too soon, I'm afraid.  The last two classes of first years has certainly given us a run for our money.  I'm surprised more haven't questioned the wisdom of letting them attend." 

Tulojow took another sip of her tea before closing her eyes against the warmth of the fire.  How nice it was to be away for a few moments and not keep an ever vigilant ear out for the door.  "They're managing well enough, with a few exceptions.  Our usual problem spots.  The inclusion of werewolves still hasn't become old news, I'm afraid - they've had to navigate the same usual suspects and challenges.  Sophie's trying to help navigate her group through an entirely new political landscape there.  Real life caught up, painfully, for young Katy and bad luck seems to keep stalking Sasha.  In short, I suppose, not much changes." 

"All years?" Knox echoed with relative surprise and inhaled sharply as he imagined the four score eleven- and twelve-year-olds clopping around in shoes and robes too big for them, fumbling with the place-settings and be-swarming the refreshment table.  Perhaps it was better he was attending as a guest...

But even as Tulojow described what a handful they were these last two years, he was again feeling jealous of being their wrangler.  Many educators often bemoaned those middle years as being the worst, but Knox had always enjoyed working with that younger group.  They lacked much shame, and they absorbed everything! Soaked up absolutely all they could.  If you only left puddles of the right stuff in their path they could turn into lovely individuals one day.

He sipped his tea as she went on to relay the less-than-wonderful moments in the lives of his former students.  He'd heard of Zel Trumble's troubles - a tragedy.  He was surprised to hear that Katy Bevans had found herself in some trouble, but not surprised to hear that Sasha had as well.  Sophie though, good for her taking up where Fauna left off.

"I suppose you're right," he had to agree with a life-affirming nod of his great head.

He hefted himself up from the chair then, his tea-cup empty.  "I have to say this whole affair seems much more exciting now that you and I shall be partners for the evening.  Always better to have someone watching your back when there are waltzes waiting to pounce."

With a smile warm with amusement, Tulojow nodded her head.  All the students kept the staff unwaveringly on their toes, especially the younger lot.  But, Tulojow wouldn't have it any other way.  All of them were an extended, surrogate family - at least during their school days for most of them.  Seeing them all gussied up for the ball in their own awkward ways would, truly, be a highlight of the year.  The blunders just as much as the elegance. 

"Well, I am glad you accepted my offer.  Now I can rest assured Minerva will be directing her evil eye at some other stag staff member."  Joking aside, Tulojow did share the former Headmaster's excitement.  It was going to be a first for her and, though it came after her best dancing days were behind her, she was still very much looking forward to it. 

Tulojow took another sip of her tea and let her eyelids flutter closed in a moment of quiet relaxation.  The respite, Tulojow knew, could only last so long.  With a telltale pop and a squeaky apology, the respite had come to an end. 

"Miss.  Excuse me.  But, Mr. Orrick's nose is on backwards, again."  Pippy shuffled anxiously on the mat in front of Knox' door, casting painfully apologetic grimaces in the direction of the former Hogwarts Headmaster. 

Tulojow nodded, her head and pushed herself to her feet.  "Fifth years are getting ready for Transfiguration OWLs," Tulojow offered in bemused explanation, grinning at Knox.  "Thank you for the tea, my dear.  It was excellent to see you.  And, oh the festivities that await."