A Place of Homely Welcoming

[Enrique Martinez]

It'd not even been a day yet and Enrique had found himself feeling more than at home at Hogwarts. There seemed to be a warmness about it; something homely and welcoming. If he was being honest, he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was -- but if he didn't know better, he'd have said it was something lingering in the air. The smell of the brisk fresh air from outside as a result from being up so high when you lingered to the towers elevating significant heights above the hills and the rest of the green land which stretched out beyond the castle. Something about the innocent laughter of the pupils about the wizarding school and the sense of positivity and optimism they brought to the world about them.

Yes, it was all of that entwined as one that made Enrique at Hogwarts New Zealand such a perfectly married thing. Not to mention the fact that he'd been granted a position teaching something he had an unsurpassed passion for. And yet, where all these positives were, he had many more to come. He'd failed to run in to many, if any, of the professors about the school yet. Many of them were either in class when he was free, or he was tending to his own students needs when they were out and about, mingling and tending to business that wasn't so significantly dawning on students minds.

Alas, here he was with the time to spend in investing himself into new introductions and finding new friends. He'd briskly moved from his Charms classroom towards the Professors common room and entered in silence. He listened to the crackling fire that was warming the room and the sound of some feint voices coming through the entrance corridor from ahead. Some laughter came then, and Enrique simply smiled. Yes, indeed - it was good to be here.

Closing the door behind him and pulling his outer jacket firmly over his shoulders, the wizard drifted towards the fire which he squatted in front of, his hands revealing themselves and rubbing against one another as if to assist the fires warmth with the heating of his cold hands. While he was eager to engage with the other staff members, he truly needed to get warm and comfortable first.

 

[Abbigale Raven]

Abby smiled as she looked over the list of students in her class this year. She knew a couple of them she knew from being out on the school grounds. She closed her file and threw the papers into her desk drawer. She decided that she needed to make her way down to the Professor's common room. Perhaps she could sneak a glance to the new Professor. She wondered if this person would stay on. So far they had all left after a year of teaching. It was almost like the position was cursed. At least that was what most of the students were saying. She smiled to herself as she closed the door to her office and made her way down to the Ground floor. She spent alot of her time in that place. Elvera and Speed were there alot of the time too. Not so much many of the other Professors, but definitely those she talked to often. Speed especially, seeing as they once upon a time, could have been related. She smiled again as she thought about it. She was glad that her brother and Cameron had started to patch things up. They were good togther and they helped each other. It was times like this that she wished she could be home to watch them. But she loved teaching too much. True, she only had the students for two years, but that was plenty for her. She believed that they needed to learn how to behave around muggles. Especially some of the Pure bloods.

Abby made her way into the Professor's common room and immediately saw a new face. He was in front of the fire. Abby was used to the weather here by now, she found that she didn't need to rug up so much any more. She smiled down at him and walked over to the coffee machine. She looked over her shoulder and called out to him. "Hey newbie. You want a coffee?" She asked as she began to make one for herself. She always had a coffee when she was here. She made the best coffees. At least in her opinion and Jasper's anyway. Speed liked them too, but he doesn't drink coffee much, tea was more his thing.
​

 

[Enrique Martinez]

The sound of the common room door opening from behind him had almost completely been missed. The sound of doors opening and closing around Hogwarts was a fairly consistent thing, and pinpointing the ones that would soon have you meeting a new face was near impossible. It was simply a waiting game in that regard; to see if the door you had heard was going to grace you with some company.
However, it wasn't only that Enrique wasn't positive about the door he'd heard that kept him peering into the fire. It was the captivating dance that it was doing as it tried to reach up to him, the embers flicking up at him every time a piece of wood burnt down and dropped from its original position in the dancing flames.

It was however the friendly voice which had him turning away from the warmth and standing back to his feet, a kindhearted smile dawning across his lips at the offer. With a greeting, respectful nod he answered in a gentle tone, "I could think of nothing better. I would love one." his teeth beamed with his smile as he moved away from the fireplace. Narrowing the distance between himself and the fellow Professor, Enrique waited patiently for his coffee, daring not to let the woman carry both coffee's to a more suited seating area.
The smell of the coffee brewing had Enrique closing his eyes for just a brief moment to entice his senses with the beautiful-yet-strong smell of the coffee beans. The purist of blends he'd smelt in a long while, or so it seemed. He could only dream for the moment of how truly magnificent it would taste once poured and served.

Though, as he waited, he let his accent-graced voice to break the brief silence. "Enrique Martinez," he offered in greeting, "I'm the new Charms Professor for the younger students." he smiled at the thought of yet another class commencing sometime down the track and realized just how accustomed to all this he could become. However, he had heard of how the students had come to say that the position of Professor was cursed -- with the amount that had come and gone during their time at Hogwarts. But Enrique didn't pay much credit to it. Curse or not, to Enrique, it was the passion for teaching which had died out amongst former teachers and mentors, not any magical influence which had cast them out. It was a common occurrence across the education-world. Sometimes, the idea of teaching posed better than the reality of it.

Still, that was a thought for another time. Instead, Enrique offered his hand out to take the coffee mug that had been poured for him, allowing his other hand for a greeting handshake. "But, hey, you know me - I can think of nothing better than to get to know you. You are, mujer bella?" he'd realized his Spanish roots had crept out a little, but he noted that most had become accustom to some of the more general terms of the Spanish language.
It was rare to find someone so kindhearted and willing to pay their time, free of charge to help another nowadays. And this moment now with this new face, Enrique was most grateful for.

Out of Character:

Mujer Bella: Beautiful woman.

 

[Abbigale Raven]

Out of Character:

Damn, too bad Abby's married

Abby smiled at the man as she proceeded to make his coffee. She liked him already. The simple fact that he seemed to be enjoying himself, and he was spanish made her like him alot. She was always a sucker for Spanish men. There was a time long ago when she had once thought she would marry a spanish guy. Then she'd met Jasper and now it was simply a passing thought. She stirred in some sugar to her own cup and sipped it to check the taste. When she was home, she often found that Jasper liked to make coffee, when she was busy with the twins of course. She smiled at her memories and looked at Enrique after he introduced himself as the new Charms Professor. She hoped he would last longer then the others. She liked him and thought the students would too. Some of them at least. Perhaps he would be teaching here when her own children attended. "I'm Abby Jinxx. It's a pleasure to have you with us. Trust me." She said as she laughed slightly and turned to walk the cup to him, only to find he was waiting for her already. "I teach Muggle Studies. It is... interesting, to say the least". She told him handing him the coffee and shaking his hand with her own.

Abby smiled at Enrique after his compliment. Her Spanish was rusty, but she knew those words well enough. He was charming to be sure. She wondered what his life was like. She walked to one of the chairs and sat down, crossing her legs in front of her and sipping her coffee. "Thankyou for the compliment Mr Martinez. We don't hear it so much anymore when you get to my age." She said, speaking for women everywhere. It was true. She didn't hear it from Jasper any more, though he never really said it much anyway. He was kind of quiet to be honest. She smirked slightly as she thought of the last time he had done something Romantic. Two years ago on their anniversary. They were only married for four years, but it was a lovely wedding they had in Egypt. "Well, what do you want to know about me. I'm pretty much an open book when you get to know me." She said, stirring her coffee again with a spoon.
​

 

[Enrique Martinez]

The first Professor he had met and Abby was truly making an impression. Kind, warmhearted and willing - no matter what the request it seemed. He'd never truly been so thankful for such good company in his life; especially now that it was coming with perhaps the finest coffee he'd ever tasted; something he'd determined even from his first small sip. So, she was the Muggle Studies Professor? He could only imagine that she would have been amongst the favored Professors in the student body. She seemed easy-going, something that students tended to latch onto. And that willingness that Enrique had noted earlier surely played a part in very in-depth, clear and informative lessons.

The Charms Professor followed instep to the seats, setting himself down on one opposite his company for today. He brought the cup to his lips once more, savoring the warmth and the taste of the brew within his mouth for a few moments longer than he had the last time. With the words that came in regards to falling short of compliments as of late, Enrique couldn't help but appear surprised.
"Really?" he queried honestly. "You make it sound as though you are old, Abby. But in all honesty, age has no merit when it comes to beauty - not that age is something you should be worried about at all." he spoke those words solemnly and honestly. They were true. Though, in the regards to Abby's age, if Enrique had been asked to make an educated guess on hers, he would have easily aimed for the mid-twenties. She appeared no older in his eyes.

Her invitation for questions made Enrique chuckle a little. It wasn't too often he came across people as open as Abby seemed to be; especially not upon having first met someone, as she had. "You had me intrigued from before," he began, rubbing a hand along his jawline, "You're remark about your subject of choice - Muggle Studies. Interesting to say the least? I'd love to hear the rest of that." he smiled truthfully and sipped at his coffee again, clasping it in his hands and realizing that it's warmth was doing far more for him then the fire had been. "I can only imagine the stories you have to tell." and still, his smile had not broken and his white teeth glistened with the flickering light of the fireplace.

 

[Abbigale Raven]

Abby could not help but feel nothing but relaxed with the man in front of her. He was charming, kind and flirtatious. She might be married, but a little innocent flirting never hurt anyone. A little more for from Jasper would have been nice though. She understood that they were both so busy when it came to this time of year and that they were busy during the holidays with the twins, but still, she had to wonder what it would be like if Jasper complimented her like Enrique was at the moment. It felt kind of nice actually. She smiled at him. He was very cheeky indeed. "Well, maybe not old, per sae, but I'm not young either you know." She was thirty one already. Though she had to smile at the fact that she did at least look relatively good for her age. She just didn't look as good as she used to. Though it was nice to have some one say she did. As much as she didn't believe him. Who would, he was a charmer of course. Though he was a handsome charmer. "I wish some one would tell some of my students that. They can be so cruel." She told him as she took a sip of her coffee again. He also seemed to be enjoying it. She smiled, another person who liked her coffee. She grinned at him, her smile was equal to his at this moment. She had no thoughts of anything but the two of them. He seemed very nice and she was glad she was getting to talk to him like this. And how better then over a lovely cup of coffee. "I'm glad you like my coffee, glad I could be of service." She told him as she laughed slightly. She loved her coffee, so did Jasper a Steph to be honest.

Abby smiled lightly as Enrique mentioned he stories she must have to tell about Muggle Studies. She laughed. That was new. "Well, you surprise me sir. Usually my work is not the first question I get asked, but it is rather refreshing i must say. So sure, I'll tell you some stories." She said as she placed her cup on the table and leaned back in her chair. She smiled to herself as she thought about he first day she had ever taught a class here. That ws the story she would open with. "Okay, so the first time I taught here, I didn't introduce myself at all in the first lesson. The students had no idea who I was until the second lesson, they were fourth years." She told him, running her fingers through the tips of her hair. It was pretty embarrassing, but it seemed appropriate to this situation. "My turn". She grinned, she could work with tossing questions around. So long as he was willing to answer them. "Okay, so... what was your first teaching position?" A simple question that wasn't too personal.
​

 

[Enrique Martinez]

Enrique never seemed to forget the effect and influence that the curse of aging had over women. For a man, it seemed almost common place that, to age was of no real care - and no one truly paid it any thought. Instead, it was seemingly assumed, with age, came wisdom; nothing else in that regard. But for a woman? For a woman it was different, for reasons Enrique dared not try to understand. For a woman, it was common place to assume it would deteriorate beauty. A view which Enrique did not conform to. Age had no place in anything, other than to determine the day of someones birth. It shouldn't have been held over them in any case of a negative connotation. Pure-blood, Half-blood or muggle born - it mattered not; everyone aged.

The remark about the students did not surprise him however and he offered her a sad smile, his hand reaching over to touch hers just for a moment; a sign of apology for their actions. "My dear, if anything - age makes things better. Something I shall live by. Whether you're twenty or one-hundred-and-twenty, so long as you know someone will always find you beautiful; that is all that matters. The people that know you, see you for your outer beauties and those within. That is all that really matters." he promised her in his foreign tone. He meant every word that he'd uttered as well. It was a code that he'd lived by until this very day, and would continue to.

With a wink, Enrique raised his mug just slightly when Abby had mentioned his enjoyment. "Absolutely beautiful. Better than any blend I have ever had, querida." his words were followed by yet another delicate sip of his coffee which he set back in front of him, both hands holding the cup and absorbing its warmth. He smiled a little more when he'd noted the surprise of Abby with his question about her work, only assuming that she'd expected him to dive into something more personal. He chuckled along at the story she had told him, through his laughter he'd managed to utter once or twice, "Adorable."
He'd had just as many awkward confrontations with students on their own and in class in his time; especially during his years in-training to be a professor.

Before long it was time for Enrique to step up and answer some questions. He had no problem with that at all; easy-going conversations proved a great tool in getting to know others. He was quite pleased with the question he received, and it was certainly one he had no issue answering whatsoever.
"My first post...." he looked upwards for a moment, as if searching through countless memories - but he really didn't need to. He remember as clear as day the first time he'd taught. "I was a professor-in-training under one of my old mentors at Hogwarts Scotland, not so long after my graduation from there. His love for Charms quite naturally rubbed off on me and I grew to respect him a great deal. So, when he fell ill, he had to step away for a few months to get well. He asked of me to take care of his duties at Hogwarts until he returned, and so I did. That was the first time I found myself properly working." he took another sip of his coffee and smiled as it warmed his throat. "What about you, señora? Was this your first post as a Professor?"

---

Spanish translations:
Querida = 'dear'
señora = 'madame'

 

[Abbigale Raven]

Abbigale smiled at the man in front of her. He was charming, considerate and genuinely interested in what she was saying. After four years of marriage and two kids, that was more then she could say of her husband. She did love him, there was no doubt about that at all, but since the kids, it was hard to know for sure what he was thinking. He had always been a very private person, she was not disputing that at all, but he was always so busy with his job and she was too, so they never really got much time to talk, she could only ever pop over to see her kids on weekends and that caused all sorts of trouble for their schedules, of course they missed her, why would they not. Abby was taken by surprise when she was brought out of her thoughts by something brushing against her hand. She looked down to see that it was Enrique's hand. She was slightly shocked at the intimate gesture, but she did not shrug him off. It was nice to have such closeness in a relationship. She smiled at him. She could already tell that she and Enrique would become wonderful friends. She was terribly happy at this fact also. She smiled at his words and went slightly red, something she had not done since before the twins. She was happy to have Enrique here with her, she could tell already that he would make a fabulous Professor, if he put as much passion into his teaching as he was into just generally talking to her, he would be brilliant and she was sure that many would love him. She figured he was probably married. What woman would not fall for such charm, however, she could see no wedding ring on his finger, but that did not always mean anything. "You are a very passionate man, aren't you Mr Martinez. It was a statement of fact and not a question as she had originally intended it to be. She of course had noticed the fact that he had not been using any formalities with her. She did not mind, he was quite free to address her in anyway he chose. She did not herself, feel comfortable being so familiar this quickly. It would take her a few weeks to warm up to him, and the idea of him. Though, with this man, it would likely take much less time. He could charm the pants off of a nun she was sure. (Note: Sorry, I just get that feel from him and I just wanted to say it )

Abby picked her cup, back up off of the table and brought it to her lips, sipping from it quickly before setting it back down again. Her coffee was pretty famous around here. She was sure even Kalif would get to liking it, if ever he came up from that dark dungeon of his. She waved her hand to dismiss the compliment. It made her feel good, but she knew it would go to her head if he continued. "Stop. It tok years of being a coffee drinker to perfect, it is nothing that special really." Most of the people she knew were used to it by now, so they usually neglected to comment, but again, she did not mind. She knew how they felt. She had too, seeing as many of her family were so quiet. She raised an eyebrow at the mention of Hogwarts Scotland. Speed and Steph had both attended school there and it seemed to line up with his story. "You know, that is interesting that you say you worked there. My nephew and niece attended there some time back. I would not be surprised if in fact you had taught them." She smiled. If he had, it would be interesting. He would definitely remember Speed, but Steph, Speed's twin, was rather a lot quieter then her brother by that stage and so it was conceivable that he would not remember her as well, if at all. She had to think about her own first posting. She had been into tutoring for a while, and then she had taught at a private college, but her first permanent position had been here. "Well, my first position, was as a tutor. My first teaching position was, if you can believe it, Charms at a Private College for those really famous people's kids, like the Ministers and celebrities and things. My first permanent position was here, as a Muggle Studies Professor." She told him, picking up her cup again and taking another sip before sitting it down. It was about half full by now. "Do you have any family Mr Martinez?" She asked, laying her hands on her lap. She hoped it was not too personal.
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Sorry about the length, I got alittle carried away and more then alittle cheeky. I had to edit it twice