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Post by Siara Brightweather on Jun 13, 2011 0:31:47 GMT -5
[[This is Siara's arrival at the school, and where she begins her position as Headmistress. I thought it'd be fun to rp, and anyone is welcome to join!]]
Hogwarts was waiting.
The old Headmaster had announced his retirement at the end of the school year, and now the time-worn castle stood empty of students, staff, and now Headmaster. Some of the staff was living at Hogwarts for the summer. It was as though the castle and all of its denizens were holding their breath. Today a new leader would take up the weighty task of guarding and directing the ancient school and its inhabitants. The mantle of Headmaster was in some ways more important than that of Minister of Magic, as Hogwarts was the home of those in charge of the future, and teaching them all that they needed. And so the castle waited, to see if the new leader would be up to the task.
The morning dawned beautiful, the sun painting broad strokes of purple, orange and pink across the sky, interrupted by only a few clouds. Dew shimmered on everything, and the golden veil of the sun had just drawn across the rooftops of the castle, slowly dripping down the eaves, balconies, and windows like honey until it finally spread across the grounds.
Siara Brightweather arrived not in style, but on a broomstick, her trusty Cirrus Starspin 2010 (a rare broomstick made in Sweden, one of her most important possessions). Her luggage trailed behind her, attached to a rental broomstick. Everything else, such as furniture and things too large to keep up with her, had been delivered last night. Ogbert, her loyal house elf, had arrived with it to oversee arrangements.
She nimbly touched down at the doorsteps leading up to the massive wooden doors of Hogwarts' main entrance. Today she wasn't wearing anything too formal, not expecting to meet anyone, as school was out for the summer, and the few staff living at Hogwarts over the summer were unaware of her early arrival. Siara didn't like much pomp and circumstance. A pair of stylish jeans, her trusty boots, and a stylish purple blouse over a black tshirt were accented by her short, spiky silver hair. The woman's most unusual feature, however, were her eyes. Golden irises like a hawks scanned the closed doors of the school, but Siara strode up to them confidently and pushed them open.
Her broom slung across one shoulder, Siara pulled her wand out and levitated her luggage to follow her into the building. Sunmotes danced in her wake as golden sunlight poured into the entrance hall.
CRASH BANG SLAM
Siara spun to find that her luggage had, inexplicably, been scattered across the entrance hall. One suitcase was even perched in an alcove high above the doorway. The woman put her hands on her hips.
"Peeves? Why not come out now," she said sternly, her fierce gaze sweeping the shadows of the hall. "Is that any way to greet your headmistress?"
The poltergeist appeared balanced on a suitcase by his fingertips. "Ickle Ravenclaw now all grown up and important!" He blew a raspberry at her. "Whatcha gonna do? Hahah!"
She had come prepared for this confrontation. She conjured a large green bottle and waved her wand at the poltergeist. Suddenly he found himself being sucked into the bottle. His hands flailed at the air, but to no avail. When his nose was the last thing to vanish into is, a cork appeared to stop it up, and Siara smiled. "We'll let you cool your heels in there until lunchtime, Peeves."
She chuckled and put it away, then started to gather up her luggage.
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Post by Theo Bowre on Jun 22, 2011 22:17:51 GMT -5
"Um, I could be mistaken, but I think this one belongs to you too." Theo snatched a rather heavy suitcase from its perch within an alcove and steadied it upon his broom as he addressed the silver-head woman. "Peeves might be a bit of a racket, but he does have decent aim. You'll want to watch that at Sunday breakfast. Launches muffins." With a small smile, Theo began his slow descent to the first floor. He handled the luggage carefully and ensured that it was placed back at the stately witch's feet without incident.
"Can I help you?" It was the first opportunity the flying instructor had to take in the visage of the stranger. She was a striking woman: her features were sharp, her presence was palpable, and she had the coolest hair and eyes he had ever seen. Much cooler than the hotshot pro-Quidders who used their success as public avenues for personal expression.
"I'm afraid you've caught us somewhat 'afterhours.' The kids recently left for the summer and we're a skeleton crew here. Looks like you're moving in. Are you a new instructor?"
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Post by Siara Brightweather on Jun 22, 2011 22:42:14 GMT -5
When a voice rang out from above her head and she looked up to see a man hovering on a broomstick near the rafters, Siara's initial reaction was wondering what in the name of Merlin the man was doing up there. Dozing on his broomstick? Hunting for snigs? Or doing an impression of Peeves?
But the strange (but not unwelcome) sight of a fellow flyer spending time in the rafters made Siara's normally stern face soften into a smile. By the time he reached ground level, she'd set her broomstick on the floor and reached out to grab the suitcase.
"Why thanks. I remember Peeves being a good shot when I was a Ravenclaw. One time he launched a live toad into my soup. From the back of the Hall." She stuck out her hand, her golden eyes twinkling. "I'm Siara Brightweather, the new Headmistress. You're either the flying instructor, or you just enjoy flying. Either one is awesome. I see you fly a Nyghtstalker. Has more maneuverability, but doesn't it drag a bit at the tail?"
She smiled again. He was at least several inches shorter than her, but made up for it with an easy, comfortable presence that made her instantly like him. "Mind if I ask what keeps you in the rafters in the early morning?"
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Post by Theo Bowre on Jun 22, 2011 23:15:37 GMT -5
Siara had Theo at "drag." He loved a fellow flier. There was no pretence, there was no 'questioning eye;' there was just a mutual respect for air and the feeling that sometimes you just wanted to hang out in the rafters. Because you could. The smile on Theo's face illuminated with great enthusiasm. A broomer.
"I kinda like the drag. You know, if you're a beater, it comes in handy when you need to jet between offence and defence. Tactical pitching on this little beast - awesome. I wrote the company I was so in love. I'm Theo. It's an honour to meet you."
Having grown up the brother of the Minister of Magic, Theo was at ease amongst authority figures. His reaction to Siara's introduction was not an urge to impress but rather gratitude that someone had taken the job. And not just any someone. She had a spark that the others before her had not.
"Flying instructor, yes. Early morning rafter hopping, guilty as charged. Actually, I was sleeping. I had a large amount of exercise last night and the Spirit Studies instructor was conducting a seance in my room. It was the next most comfortable place."
"You're flying a Cirrus Starspin. I'm guessing you're a Keeper. Tried, trusted an true ~ Starspins'll keep the goals from you. That's an amazing broom. Classic. It's the only ride I've ever seen give a Chaser a mental meltdown. Do you play?"
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Post by Siara Brightweather on Jun 23, 2011 0:09:17 GMT -5
Siara's eyes lit up as Theo explained his love for his broom, and nodded in understanding. "Aye, that makes sense. I never did much for beating, you nailed it though, Starspins and Keepers were made for each other. I've played minor leagues for a little bit, but nothing serious. I just fly and play as a hobby, whenever I can get a match started."
She snapped her fingers, suddenly remembering the roster she'd perused the night before. "Ah, you're Theodore Bowre. Are you staying here for the summer then? Here," she hefted one of the suitcases and tossed it at him. "You've been elected to help your new Headmistress up to her quarters. Oh, be careful, Peeves is in a bottle in that one."
She grabbed two more smaller suitcases, and enchanted the other remaining one to follow them as she started down the length of the entrance hall.
Siara was refreshed by Theo's open demeanor, and the way he didn't bat an eye when she introduced herself as Headmistress. It was a lofty position in the Wizarding World, but that didn't mean that she was any more special than him. She appreciated him treating her as an equal.
"So, Theodore, tell me a bit about yourself. Are you new to teaching, or how long have you been here? Who else is spending the summer here?"
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Post by Theo Bowre on Jun 23, 2011 1:30:50 GMT -5
Theo accepted the large suitcase with ease, stepping aside so that the Headmistress could lead the way to her quarters. The beater's time at Hogwarts was so sporadic that he had yet to learn the layout of every floor; even as a student back in the day, there were certain areas you avoided all together, including the Headmaster's Quarters. Unless you wanted a wicked howler from your parents. He wondered if Siara would take Dumbledore's old space.
"Hobby teams are the best. Some of the most promising talent I've ever seen has come from the minors and rec leagues. Do you have a favourite pitch? My little brother Ralin, whose actually my flying assistant, has been trying to get a staff match going for quite some time. Maybe this will be the year." Theo looked curiously down at the luggage in his arms, arching an eyebrow. Shortly after reaching the top landing, he heard a muffled belch inside the suitcase. Right. Peeves. Moving on.
"This will actually be my first year teaching. Flying took a bit of a hit last year with budget cuts; they pulled back on the curriculum and made it more of an elective but it ran against DADA in the time slot. Most of the senior students dropped it. I've been hired to try and get it back online. We're surviving on grant funding but it's still surviving. We'll be ready by September."
"Are you staying for the summer or are you doing a pre-emptive strike with your belongings? If you're staying, remind me to show you the sweet spot in the rafters. The sun warms it just so; I think it will only be around for a month or so before the sun sinks a bit lower on the horizon."
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Post by Siara Brightweather on Jun 23, 2011 1:59:09 GMT -5
Siara chuckled as they walked down a long, sunlit corridor on the top floor, coming to the polished gryphon perched as sentinel in front of the stairway curving up to the offices and quarters of the Headmistress.
"I'd love that. You know, I confess I like to just drift on my broomstick outside, high over the ground. So long as I don't fall off when I doze. Something relaxing about being surrounded by nothing but air."
Pausing in front of the gryphon, Siara placed hands on her hips, studying the creature frozen in bronze. "I am Siara Brightweather, Headmistress of Hogwarts. The new password will be...candied chestnuts." The authority in her voice rang out, and the gryphon blinked, then folded its wings, stepping aside to let her pass, accepting her as the new Headmistress.
"Well, glad that worked," she smiled at Theo. "Let's go in and see if Ogbert has tea ready. I'll bet you he does. If you have no plans, I'd like to continue our conversation."
They reached the top of the stairs, and the door opened to admit them, propped open by a stout house elf with a pointed nose and ears, round purple eyes, wearing a spotless butler outfit, complete with waistcoat.
"Ogbert, this is Theodore Bowre, professor of flying and Quidditch." Siara said, stepping into the office and setting down her things.
The house elf bowed and took the suitcase from Theo, staggering to the side before he set it down.
Siara's raptor eyes focused on the house elf, all business. "Ogbert, I want you to write a letter to the department of education at the Ministry. Tell them I want the budget to be raised for classes here. I won't take no for an answer. There's no reason our education here should suffer financially."
The house elf nodded and vanished.
Siara turned to Theo. "You'll have your funding, Theodore, just let me know what you need. Now," she waved at the couches surrounding a coffee table laden with biscuits and tea. "Will you join me for brunch?"
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Post by Theo Bowre on Jun 26, 2011 21:22:17 GMT -5
Theo had never been in the Headmaster's Quarters before; he followed Siara with rapt curiosity and maintained a respectful awe as he was introduced to the house elf Ogbert. Theo returned the elf's bow, his stomach rumbling at the scent of sweet scones and orange pekoe.
"You'll have your funding, Theodore, just let me know what you need. Now, will you join me for brunch?"
Was the new Headmistress actually inviting him to brunch? Could she seriously be that approachable? Theo wasn't sure what he was expecting when the staff received word last month of a new Headmaster but it was more along the lines of "crusty."
"Please call me Theo, ma'am. Or Boon. And thank you, I would be honoured if it's not too much an imposition." Theo set his broom down carefully beside Siara's along the wall and waited until the Headmistress was settled before taking a seat. "Where were you serving before Hogwarts? Have you always been in education?"
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Post by Siara Brightweather on Jul 1, 2011 15:06:50 GMT -5
Siara took a seat on a cushy round armchair and began to pour the tea. The sweet-smelling scent of the scones mingled with the sharp orange from the tea, making the entire room smell like early morning sunshine.
Chuckling at Theo, the tall woman indicated the seats around the table. "And you can call me Siara please. I haven't been in education too much, my main expertise falls under magical creatures and spellwork. I've studied abroad a lot, but I had to teach classes too. How about you, did you play pro before or after you decided to teach here?"
She shrugged, taking her tea without anything added and sipped at it. "I guess I've wandered around a lot, learning as much as I can, until I decided to settle here."
He seemed tense, respectful but also hesitant, as if he didn't know what to expect from her. Not an odd thing, considering her strange appearance, or the fact she was a big unknown in the wizarding world. Her achievements, such as being on the Wizengamot, or an Order of Merlin First Class, were not known by many.
Siara hoped that once he got to know her a bit more, that he would relax. She definitely wanted to find friends here among the staff.
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Post by Theo Bowre on Jul 14, 2011 22:46:58 GMT -5
How about you, did you play pro before or after you decided to teach here?"
"Before. I'm kind of doing both at once." Theo quickly rested his tea cup on his knee, hoping this news didn't alarm the Headmistress. He wanted her to know that she could trust him to put the kids first. "It won't affect my duties here, I promise. We're given our match schedule for the season in advance and save for the occasional Saturday afternoon, all of my matches and training sessions are at night."
After several beats, Theo collected his cup and sipped his tea. He preferred to drink his tea with milk to within an inch of its life; today was no exception.
"Magical creatures and spellwork," the beater broke the silence. That was an unusual combination of specializations. Theo he could not help but think to the recent attacks surrounding Hogsmeade; he wondered whether the Headmistress knew anything of demons and wished he knew more about her mettle. A meeting of the Black Watch was fast approaching. If she was skilled, if she was trustworthy, if she was morally courageous, she would be just the type of person the Black Watch needed to make headway in the war. But she was still a stranger.
"You must have some incredible stories. Did you serve the Ministry or were you independently hired? I'm sorry if I'm asking too many questions."
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