It had been a long year, full of the usual trials and tribulations of a castle full of teenagers as well as a few new ones, courtesy of the Tournament. Landis was disgruntled to find another year passed and he one of the few staff members who'd stayed. He hated teenagers and yet he hadn't given into the terrible lure of turnover.

Not that that said much about him or his intelligence.

Finally, however, it was time for the students to go home. He along with several other staff members were supervising the departing masses who thronged about the Hogwarts Express and unloaded from the thestral-drawn carriages. There was easily a half hour until last boarding call so the students were all rushing about signing yearbooks and throwing their arms around one another,  laughing, shrieking, and generally giving Landis a headache. He scowled at two girls sprinting down the platform and they stuttered to a walk. He nodded to a Slytherin 6th year who grinned at him. And, narrow-eyed, he took his wand to a child covertly pressing their gum against the side of the train. It shot off the heated metal and up the child's nose. "5 points for defacing Hogwarts property," he called in a drawling manner as the boy fell into coughing.

"You can't take off points, the house cup's already been tallied!" The boy said indignantly between coughing fits - a Gryffindor, by the tie.

"For next year," Landis said coolly. "You'll start at negative. Now run along."

How he enjoyed leaving day.

After the horrifying affair with the age potions yesterday, Lucrezia was in the foulest of moods. The fact that the snot-nosed little half-wits were currently departing to whatever hell hole they had crawled out of was only momentarily pleasing. No sooner than she had stepped out of the shadow of a tree and unto the populated path, she'd overheard two nitwits sharing words over Professor Storm - and that dastardly yearbook survey the entire school was abuzz over - that they wouldn't even dare fathom were they to find themselves in front of her colleague.

She may very well indeed no longer be able to take points, and it didn't quite offer the same satisfaction having to wait for the points to once more matter to the students until next year. A shame, really. It didn't stop Lucrezia from taking another few quiet steps until her silhouette was shadowed over their heads. With a smile worthy of Soma herself, if snakes could ever smile, Lucrezia raised both arms and placed her gloved hands, one each, on the boys' backs, leaning lower to their level with the same calm and eerie sort of smile. "Such a happy coincidence, I was just complaining that I might not find the time to milk my familiar's venom quite so often in the following school year" she said in an airy sort of voice, the grip on the back of their heads growing slightly more tight.

"It is very fortunate indeed, that you two gentleman just offered to do so for the entire next term" she nodded, serious and pleased. Her arms were quickly returned to her own space, and she clasped her hands over her chest, soundlessly clapping them for their bravery. "Soma will be delighted to have new friends" she tilted her head, smiling serenely, and the way she'd said friends, might've as well been prey. "Now, off you go" she then added, devoid of any expression or tone, suddenly bored with their horrified expressions and silly trembling.

Coming up behind the Librarian, Ezia crossed her arms and frowned at an offended looking Gryffindor, muttering something fervently. She couldn't quite fathom the dramatics of Gryffindors in general. "I honestly don't know whether to pour myself a glass of champagne to celebrate peace and quiet, or choose wine and mourn the absence of an unwilling team of sub-par brewing assistants and somewhat efficient cauldron and utensil cleaners" she said out of nowhere on a breathy sigh, eyes still lazily following the irate boy.

As the boy stomped off Lucrezia di Luca drifted up beside him; they both watched the boy leave.

"House elves aren't the same," Landis agreed. There was something about children's muttered complaints of soul-sucking physical labor that warmed his cold heart every time. "Perhaps a firewhisky to best Obliviate the memories of this year. Three months and we'll be doing it again."

Despite his opinion on the students, the castle would seem empty until they returned. Landis liked routine. Three months would go by in a flash that would seem both too long and not long enough.

He turned a thoughtful eye on di Luca; he had been intending to broach a subject with her for a while, now that they better understood one another, and she'd given him the perfect opening. "In the meantime if you've need of a significantly better-trained assistant, I would be pleased to brew again." Not quite the truth - Landis had a small brewing station set up in one of the library's back rooms. But there was a definite limit to what might be made there, and all his resources personally purchased; he had greatly missed the freedom to use the Potions rooms that he'd had when Juliette had taught there.

"No they most certainly aren't" Ezia mused, a twitch of her nose barely showing her displeasure. And that was why not a single one of them was allowed near her equipment and ingredients. She had nothing against the creature, but she didn't trust them with some of the more volatile objects and elements. Not to mention there was a strange pleasure to be derived from seeing the little knobs exert themselves so. "I just might take you up on that offer, Mister Morgan" she said with a little chuckle. Firewhiskey wasn't her usual cup of tea, not that tea was either - the potions Mistress much preferred a good wine to strong spirits - but the idea of putting behind all the memories of this atrocious past year, sounded like one she's enjoy entertaining.

"Strangely enough, I think I might actually find my daily routine much disrupted without the buggers" Ezia found herself admitting quietly with a little frown and a shake of her head, as if dismissing the thought completely. As Ladis turned to her, Ezia reciprocated his gaze, blinking once lazily, curious as to what the librarian had to say. And her lips grew into a minute smile and she raised one perfectly defined eyebrow. "We'll see about significantly better-trained, Mister Morgan, but I would be grateful for your brewing assistance" she inclined only her head, slowly, in gratitude and narrowed her eyes at him for just a moment before turning her gaze to the students. "If you'd like to make use of my laboratory and cupboard when I have no need for the facilities, I can modify my wards to allow you entrance" she added, perfectly neutral and without sparing him a glance.

That was, after all what the man must've been seeking. Landis Morgan did not strike her as one that did anything simply out of the kindness of his own heart. And Lucrezia saw nothing wrong with that, any and all sorts of favors must be met with a manner of payment.