Early Morning, before lessons

There was something rather surreal about being able to actually just walk into the Staff Room of Hogwarts to Effie. In her youth it had been a no-go zone; something pondered about and debated over. It was silly, really, when one thought about it; it was just a room like any other room in the Castle. There had just been an certain mystery of the forbidden about it when she was a student. Now, all these years later she found herself peeking around the door to see if it was empty before she dared step in. It would have looked utterly ridiculous to anyone paying attention to her; luckily she was small and had quiet feet.

Growing up the new professor had assumed there would come a day that she simply felt like an adult; as though one morning she would wake up and go Oh! So this is what it's like! She had turned thirty-one in November and had yet to have that Aha moment of realizing adulthood. Compared to the more seasoned professors (though she had been teaching in some capacity for the last decade) she still felt sheepish and new. She could fake it though, one of the blessings of being an extrovert was the ability to pretend like you weren't actually quaking in your rather pricey heels you still couldn't believe you bought.

Finally stepping fully into the room she was a little sad to see that it was rather barren. Some part of her childhood imagination (the one where Professors smoked, drank, and in general got up to mischief) had still lingered and seeing that in fact the Staff Room was just a room was a little disappointing. Still, there was fresh coffee and the morning's edition of The Daily Prophet (folded up like it hadn't even been touched yet!) sitting on a nearby table. There was still plenty of time before the first lesson of the day so she made herself at home, pouring the fragrant brew into a cup and carefully unfolding the paper - making sure to read some Ministry article before diving for the funnies - it was the adult thing to do, after all.

"There is no excuse, McKenna, your essay is delivered to me this afternoon at two before your lesson begins, or you are given a troll for the piece. It is your own fault for leaving it at home." Professor Storm's voice was anything but pleased. He had left the Great Hall, and been stopped by a fifth year Gryffindor seeking an extension on the essay set over Christmas, because she'd left it at home, apparently. Ignan disbelieved this tale, and suggested she hadn't completed the piece, more likely.

His hand was opening the staff room door, keen to go in, check the prefect patrols for the day, and then go to his classroom to teach the third years, who he had first thing that Monday morning. He'd deal with McKenna that afternoon.

"But Sir!"

"A point from Gryffindor for whining at me girl! Get out of my sight, produce that essay by two."

The staff room door swung open and the Deputy Headmaster shut it firmly behind himself, a deep frown on his features. Not the best of starts to a morning, it was busy enough already without student excuses.

He glanced at Effie, not really realising who it was until he looked again, and his stern features softened a little realising it was one of his newest colleagues, who had stepped in over Christmas when Sandusky had fallen ill. Was a right shame, Ignan and Leopold were rather coming round to the possibility of being friends of the older generation, and he'd had to retire early. He'd sent the old Professor a bottle of firewhiskey, with a note apologising that they'd not got to share one at new year's eve, and wishing him well.

"Good morning." Ignan greeted, weaving his way between the assorted chairs and tables in the room, each which were invisibly claimed by other staff each term. His eyes landed on the paper, "Best not tell me the answers to any of those crossword clues." He warned her, the crossword being a particular hobby of his when he got to it each day.

"Feeling optimistic?" He asked with a smirk, eyes turning to the noticeboard moving pieces of parchment pinned to it to find the one he wanted, the temporary prefect roster, until Dodd fixed a new one.

Effie glanced up at the ruckus in the hall, a small frown creasing her features. She had only met Ignan in passing but she'd heard various things from various people about him. As always she reserved judgment for herself, but yelling at a fifth year didn't do a lot to endear him to the younger professor. Of course it probably came down to a difference in management styles, Storm was known for extremely high (in some people's estimation ridiculous) standards. Still, if he got results; and DADA was one of the most important subjects that required acute attention to details. Being forgetful in a class like that could get you seriously wounded, and not being prepared in a real life situation that called for those skills could get you dead.

When he entered she hurriedly looked back down at the paper, trying to remember if she'd already read that particular paragraph before his voice broke into her thoughts, "Morning Professor". A rueful sort of smile twitched at the corners of her mouth as she gave a small shrug, "I dunno, what's in it for me? Maybe I've already solved it in bright pink forever-ink; or at the very least doodles hearts in the margins". Much like the night before she couldn't exactly be sure how her sense of humor would be perceived. It was tricky navigating the Sea of Colleagues, the winds could be high and waters rough if Ignan Storm was as humorless as some people claimed.

Her features softened a little as she gave a small nod, "Ever the optimist, I'm afraid. First and second years shouldn't be a problem; they still like Professors at that point don't they? I am a bit worried at the walking hulking masses known as sixth and seventh year males. I quit growing when I was thirteen. I barely come up to some of their shoulders! D'they start putting something in the water at Hogwarts after I graduated? I don't remember students being this big," of course as much as she might complain she had nothing on her pint sized counterpart Henry. She couldn't imagine being half Goblin and trying to walk the halls without being stepped on, "First week's always the worst; I know they're going to try and see how far they can push; so I suppose I'm hoping for the best but nevertheless prepared for the worst".

First full, official day on the job and Dallas had woken up, already feeling the mass of problems he needed to solve before the end of the week. His cupboards were empty in his small cottage given to him by the headmistress, and he was having a bit of a caffeine craving. Putting on a clean shirt and his pair of boots, Dal made his way up to the castle, scribbling something down on a notebook he had bought to keep him organized.

Get coffee at next chance, he wrote, tucking the notepad into his leather trench coat pocket. The jacket hit the back of his ankles as he walked up to the front entrance, trying to recall which key unlocked the massive wooden doors, so that he may enter, and students may exit. He put the keys back on his belt and ventured up to the Staff Room, that he was rather excited to visit for the first time. He smoothed his collar before entering, whisking away any dust what could be on his faded blue jeans. He entered the room to see one of the ne Professors, Finnigan, he remembered from his days at Hogwarts, they were about the same age and graduated the same year, and the always frightening, Professor Storm.

He spotted the coffee pot and grabbed a mug from the white cabinet. He poured the coffee black, and sipped it carefully. It was just the right temperature. Once his mouth was nice and warm, he was finally ready to speak. “Good morning Professors.” He wasn’t going to call them by their first names, even if that was socially acceptable. “Happy new term” He said, leaning against the counter, warming his frozen hands with the hot mug. He was suddenly glad he didn’t decide to wear his hat, he was almost 100% sure he’d been taken for a crazy person and thrown out.

“Oh, Professor Storm, I noticed that one of the stone sills was cracked on a window outside your classroom, would you like me to fix that for you?” Dallas loved fixing things, his toolbox down in his shack was aching to be opened. Working on Ranches and Fishing Boats was a much more difficult job in terms of fixing things, but this position required him to think about all of the magical beasties that may pose a threat to the students in the school.

Dallas sipped his coffee, glad to be a part of the school he attended in his youth, and given a position in which he could make it a better-safer place for the faculty and student body.

Pink ink? Merlin.

"None of the students should be giving you a problem." Ignan replied in a deadpan tone, taking his hand away from the noticeboard. He couldn't help but notice her height, there was about a foot difference between them.

"First and the last." Ignan corrected her, "When they've either given up, or panic before the examinations. At least in the first they're trying to turn over a new leaf. But, for you, yes, first impressions, they'll be sizing you up," he smirked, "literally."

"Good morning Professors." Locksley breezed in, looking as chiselled as ever. Ignan had overheard a couple of Hufflepuff girls discussing the new groundskeeper on the way to breakfast.

"Good morning." Ignan greeted to the second colleague, stealing a glance at the headlines on the front of the paper.

“Oh, Professor Storm, I noticed that one of the stone sills was cracked on a window outside your classroom, would you like me to fix that for you?”

"I can't say its overly concerning me," Ignan replied, "but if the window falls out, I can only hope a student goes with it." He turned to look properly at the man and shook his head.

"Late afternoons are best if you need to get in there undisturbed, or Thursday. Thank you." He nodded to his fellow wizard with approval. "I appreciate the efficiency on behalf of Hogwarts."

Looking back to Effie, he added,
"The two of you will undoubtedly be busy this week adjusting to life at the castle, not as students, hmm?"

It surprised people when they actually spoke with Ignan that he was so polite, but who knew when you needed a transfiguration expert and someone to fix your half-destroyed classroom, not that Ignan had particular wishes to do buildings damage on the scale he had at Durmstrang (a whole staircase collapse, whoops).

"Alright, I'll make sure to do that for you." Dallas took another sip of his black coffee, smirking. Storm was no old goat, as he'd heard one Slytherin lad say on his way up, his dry sense of humor was unmatched by anyone else he had ever met, except his grandfather. Grandpa Fergus was one of the most boring people Dallas had ever met in his entire life, but when Grandpa opened his mouth, you knew you were going to laugh yourself to stitches.


"It'll take some getting used to, I'll admit. I'm afraid someone is gonna come right in and yell at me for being in the staff room." He laughed. "I already have a mile-long list of things I need to do today." Dallas took another sip of his black coffee and put his mug down on the counter and grabbed his notebook from his pocket, scrawling the note for Storm's window.

---

Sorry, it's a little bit shorter than I intended...

Declan was glad to be returning to Hogwarts. That morning he had donned his usual slacks, button up, and nicely tailored black robe. His shoes were shined, reflecing the torchlight of the corridor on his way to the staff room. His son had still been in bed when he'd left this morning- much to Declan's dismay. He liked to be able to tell Ignatius goodbye before he left, and when he'd been working at the ministry for the last six months had been afforded that luxury. However, returning to where Declan felt he belonged was worth it. Now that he was no longer acting as deputy headmaster, Declan could live off campus- in Hogsmeade with his son and  the live-in nanny. It was a more convenient arrangement than living in the drafty castle. His cottage was small, but more than big enough for the few who lived there.

He entered the staff room, glad to be hit with the aroma of fresh coffee. Immediately he made his way over to the pot, pouring a mug, casting a glance at those already gathered. Professor Storm he recognized- the other two, he did not. Coffee fetched- without so much as a pinch of sugar or drop of cream- he took up a seat at the table. Both of the new faces looked familiar to Declan- though he could not place their names. No doubt they had attended Hogwarts with one another, probably close in age given their striking familiarity.

"Good morning, Ignan," he greeted. "Quite glad to see you've been given the Deputy Head position. It is nice to see it going to someone else with a bit of sense around here." Translation: Declan considered only himself and Storm worth. Sipping his coffee, Declan settled his judgemental gaze upon Locksley and Finnigan. "New to the castle?" It was more of a statement than a question. "Declan Ó Móráin, creatures professor," he said, introducing himself. He had missed the feast the previous evening- wanting to return home early enough to put his son to bed.

Bedhead. He had bedhead. And not the sort that meant he'd been up half the night on his back with his lover's....no, this meant school was back in session. Gale should have felt rested, the break should have been an easy one, but after an unfortunate turn of events he had to rely heavily on his sleep aids to even get comfortable in his bed. It was lonely, and cold. The castle simply didn't feel as exciting and brand new as it once had, and the Charms Professor was already ready for the term to be over. Had he even gotten dressed? He'd hope so, and yes...those were bunny slippers.

A grouch in the morning he didn't say anything when he walked in, didn't even mutter to himself about how hard it was to be awake, and went quickly to where the coffee was waiting. Hell, he didn't even know there were other people in the room until half way through pouring his first cup he heard Ignan's voice, and damn near dropped the mug.

There were two things that could make one's heart pound in such an early hour, a bucket of ice cold water, and Ignan Storm. Mornings were evil, how was it Ignan seemed so chipper? Oh....that's right. With his spine straight and his whole body tense he turned his back on the group to fix his coffee.

Effie smirked at Storm a little and shook her head, she could take the height jokes. She knew they were coming. The thing about being really comfortable with yourself was knowing whatever faults, or weaknesses, or quirks you had there was also a set of skills that made you valuable. She was nervous but deep down she also knew she was good at her job. She'd spent ten years working with students (some much later in life than herself) who had either been given up on or had given up on themselves and she got results. She didn't have to be a blowhard or a bully; not that she thought Storm was a blowhard or a bully... she just knew professors who were.

She wiggled her fingers at Dallas as he joined them, and nodded as he commented on getting used to being back in the castle, "It all felt a bit surreal last night. My first instinct when walking back into The Great Hall was to plop myself down at the Hufflepuff table and dig in. I felt completely under dressed without my uniform! Though, I suppose it's about the only thing that would set me apart from some of the students," Effie's easy sense of humor was just that, easy. Of course her smile faulted slightly when Declan Ó Móráin trounced his pretty self into the room, her stomach filling quickly with dread. As many happy memories as she had about Minerva, Hooch, her time in these halls she had her fair share of unpleasant ones and a good number of those were all thanks to the moody Slytherin with more than a mild Napoleon  complex.

Her jaw almost dropped as he introduced himself; granted it had been over a decade since they'd seen one another but she knew for a fact she looked about the same as she had the last time they'd seen one another in Hogwarts hallowed halls. He had made her miserable and he didn't even remember who she was. Clearing her throat she gave a slight nod of her head, crossing her ankles and resisting the old urge to throw a hex his way, "Transfiguration, Effie Finnigan. You once turned my favorite pair of glasses into a tortoise when we were twelve," she was about to say something else when the blonde who had left the feast early the night before came in looking miserable and growly. She'd let someone else poke him, on the off chance he was hungover or just really hated Mondays.

The halls of Hogwarts Castle seemed busier than usual that morning, although that certainly had much to do with the comparison to how it had recently been.  Over the break, the school had been quiet and serene, and he'd let himself get far too used to the idea that he could fetch a cup of tea in the morning without intersecting with the massive mob of greetings and conversations that seemed to follow the Hogwarts staff everywhere they went.  But now, alas, the Staff Room was no longer the fortress of solitude that it had been the past few weeks.

Atash glanced idly towards his fellow educators as he entered the room, his expression relatively bland.  Several new faces -- he recognized O Morain, whom he'd met and couldn't help quietly liking.  The others were likely new professors as well.  Hogwarts, it seemed, suffered from a relatively high staff turnover -- and also suffered from, he realized with a blink of surprise, the slightly shocking bunny slippers that graced its Charm Professor's feet.

"Good morning," he greeted the room at large politely.  It was impossible not to arch an eyebrow at Kesali's foot ware, but other than that, he kept his thoughts to himself as he headed for the counter for tea.  The coffee here had not improved since his arrival, and he'd largely stopped trying to make it palatable.  There were some battles that one was not going to win.

Early mornings at Hogwarts were nothing like the early mornings in Gringotts. There were people rushing around, getting ready for their early classes and others just milling around sleepily, still rubbing sleep from their eyes. And none of them even noticed the short professor – that is… until they stepped upon him. It seemed that one needed to wear steel-toed boots to work at Hogwarts – that or have a strong repellant charm placed on your feet.

Henry limped into the staff room, mug in hand. Soft-soled leather moccasins weren’t exactly the best choice for the morning, he was quickly finding. His first choice had been the Great Hall for a hefty helping of bacon and eggs, but just the thought of the hundreds of bodies waiting to smoosh his poor feet was enough to deter him from that silly notion.

“Mornin’,” He said, bustling over to the percolator. He poured himself a mug of the scalding brew and glanced around the room at the crowd amassed there. Surely the staff room wasn’t this busy most mornings, was it? Then another thought struck the mixed-breed, and he chuckled to himself. A magic coffee pot, obviously. Magic at its finest.

Being that much closer to the ground than his colleagues, it was only normal that he’d have his eyes trained on the ground. Bunny slippers? “Aye, laddie,” said the man, brow furrowing in annoyance, “are ye a professor or a young lass?” It probably wasn’t the best idea to get on the bad side of the staff during his first conversation with them, but that just wasn’t professional.

Sybill Trelwney was finally back at school. She had been gone for so long, she almost forgot what it was like to be at school. Upon entering the great doors of the castle, she suddenly felt like she was back at home and a sense of belonging washed over her. It was much more welcoming than she had anticipated. It was also much better than some of the places she had been on her journey.

She held her bag close to her as she walked through the halls. Her eyes seemed larger than usual as they moistened. She could hardly contain herself with how happy she was. She had learned new things on her journey and was overjoyed to have the opportunity to share her knowledge with her students again. At the same time, she was nervous. It had been quite some time since she had taught a class. It seemed that way at least.

Sybill made her way to the staff room in the hopes of finding some hot tea to calm her nerves. Upon seeing more professors than expected in the room, she was caught slightly aback. She actually jumped back a bit when she opened the door and her eyes widened again, if possible. She pulled her bag closer to her and began her familiar tremble again. She didn't particularly like being around many people, hence why she stayed in her class most of the time. Perhaps this wouldn't be too bad. She didn't sense any negative energies. Just some paranoia and a bit of anxiety. Things she felt on a regular basis.

"Good morning, Professors," Sybill greeted the room. She made her way to the coffee maker and was relieved to see there was already a coffee pot of hot water and some single tea bags. She got a packet of green tea infused with ginseng and a coffee mug. She poured the water over the tea in her cup and sat down at a table waiting for it to steep a bit.

The winter holiday had felt too short, and although Maiko absolutely adored her job, she was not completely ready to return. Perhaps part of it was because it was early in the morning, and perhaps part of it was because despite it being early in the morning, the staff room was full of people—most of them familiar, but there were a few new faces. The staff turnover rate was quite high at Hogwarts, and she wondered why exactly that was. Whoever was hiring had no shortage of respect for short people! All of them were petite people! They made her feel normal sized. Compared to the beardy Henry, Maiko felt like a giant among mere mortals, even if her place was in the ‘short’ category of staff.

She could get used to this.

Nevermind! Title revoked! There was someone in the room of a height comparable to Tappy’s! Dallas, the new groundskeeper.

It was as if someone had hired a bunch of short people and then a tall one so Mai could make little jokes about how the tall people stole the height from everybody else.

“Good morning.” She greeted everybody in general, nodding her head and making eye contact with whoever glanced in her direction. In her hands was one of her owl mugs, and it was full of strong tea.  The owl seemed to be sleeping, and every time it snored, steam came out of it’s beak.

Maiko sat next to Trelawney and set her cup on the table. She hadn't gotten to speak to her at the feast-- Sybill had been quite an interesting professor to say the least; when Maiko was a student, she had done well in her classes and had enjoyed her quirks.

"So. Morning." She said quietly, trying to think of some small talk. Morning was not a time for deep discussion, nor was it a time to examine the innermost parts of people's minds. "I see you 'ave tea. I 'ave tea too." Maiko felt her own IQ dropping as she listened to herself speak. "What kind is it?"

The staff room near exploded with people in the moments that followed. The morning rush was well and truly in motion.

Locksley scrawled a note about the window sill, Ó Móráin slunk in and took a seat, greeting Ignan a good morning before addressing the newer colleagues, who were exchanging notes on how odd it felt to be there as a Professor, with such strong memories of being a student.

"Good morning, Ignan, quite glad to see you've been given the Deputy Head position. It is nice to see it going to someone else with a bit of sense around here."

"Good morning, Declan. Glad you see it that way." Ignan echoed, retreating from the coffee pot, which was as good as a honeypot in the room, and away from the noticeboard. "Good to have you back."

The new Transfiguration professor recognised their returning Creatures Professor, and a quip about a school incident sprung forth. Ignan was always bemused at the dynamics in the younger staff, so many of them seemed to know each other from time at Hogwarts. Meanwhile, Kesali had appeared in the room, a sea of white hair and, were those rabbits on his feet? Exchanging a look with Declan, Ignan raised an eyebrow.

"Dressed impeccably for lessons as always, Professor Kesali." The difference in address purposeful, along with the sarcasm. He was used to Nightingale not being at his brightest in the morning, whereas Ignan was accustomed to being fairly early to rise, and certainly by the time he stepped out of the door towards the Great Hall, he was dressed for the day and mentally awake enough.

The general greeting from their Durmstrang colleague Atash Hendurabi joined the hubbub, and Ignan gave the younger man a nod of greeting. Atash had replaced him back at Durmstrang, subsequently they'd not worked together back there. In doing so he almost missed the new Arithmancy Professor, pitched somewhere nearer Ignan's kneecaps. Henry MacLeod was more suitably positioned to notice Kesali's rabbit footwear.

“Aye, laddie, are ye a professor or a young lass?” It took a surprising amount of effort for Ignan to keep a straight face.

Sybill and Maiko were soon other faces amongst the room, now filled with nine of them. The noise had picked up, and the smell of coffee and herbal tea was filling the air. So much for slinking in and out quickly before his first lesson, thought the Hogwarts Deputy Headmaster as he momentarily listened to the two ladies discussing tea.

"Everything as you need?" He asked Declan in a softer tone, still on his feet, staying out of the way of the clamour for caffeine. "Good of you to step in after Hagrid had to leave. I can't say any of the other candidates considered really were up to the same mark."

There was a brief stir as the door to the staff room opened. Landis paused, his daily newspaper under one arm. He looked around the room from the Charms professor in his bunny slippers to Trelawney trembling over a cup of tea, over half the room new or returned additions to Hogwarts staff. Then, shaking his head and muttering something like, "Too early for this," he shut the door again.