Closed Faking It Until We Make It

[Lawrence Hale]

Lawrence wasn't entirely sure how he got here. He had wanted to go back into magical education, and had reached out to Hogwarts on a whim. Before he even knew it, he was here teaching Divination. Which...certainly wasn't his specialty. Though he had certainly made a compelling case for how he intended to teach it, and he was only contracted for 12 months anyway. One single class of students. How hard could it be, really?

Hard enough that he was on his third cup of coffee in the staff room looking over the notes the teacher he was replacing had left, desperately trying to parse them, apparently. He sighed a little overdramatically, dropping his pen to the table a little louder than he intended, and leaned back in his chair with a groan. Probably not the best impression to his coworkers, but he figured they were all adults and likely could sympathize.

 

[Professor Cairo Keller]

Lost in her thoughts, Cairo entered the staff common room to make herself a fruit tea. This month marked her one year anniversary at Hogwarts, the longest job she had ever held, and her favourite by far. Her knowledge of Muggle Studies came from real life experiences, giving her a sense of purpose after what she sometimes considered the trainwreck of her life. She also enjoyed teaching a subject that challenged the prevalent 'magic is the only important knowledge' mindset at Hogwarts.

While waiting for her tea to brew, a noise behind her pulled her from her reverie. She turned to see the new professor poring over some notes. Folding her arms casually, she smiled. "Hitting the ground running, I see," she remarked, nodding towards his coffee mug. "Need a top up while I'm here? I know you could magically refill it, but I believe hot drinks taste better when prepared the muggle way. Don’t you agree?" She turned back to finish making her tea by hand.

 

[Lawrence Hale]

Somehow, Lawrence was somewhat surprised to be approached. He supposed it was because of his previous teaching job, a lot of the teachers seemed to just have their own groups and weren't keen to socialized beyond it. One would have thought that would have been something people grew out of after high school, but apparently it wasn't. Still, her tone sounded friendly, so Lawrence jerked his head up and looked at her, trying not to look quite as wired as he was probably feeling. Especially as his coworker was rather good looking, he thought, a little shamefully.

"I couldn't agree more," he replied with a genuine smile - sure, the magical world certainly had its perks and he was glad to be back amongst it, but some things just needed the human touch. "I think I might have forgotten the spell anyway." It wasn't as though he could just start using magic while teaching 12 year olds maths. He stood up, needing a break anyway, picked up his cup and walked over to his coworker. He leaned against the bench as casually as he could, extending a hand to the woman. "Lawrence Hale. Teaching Divination...apparently. Someone with an appreciation for doing things the muggle way, clearly you're the Charms professor, right?" he smirked, clearly joking.

 

[Professor Cairo Keller]

Cairo used a teaspoon to stir her tea then tapped it on the mug before discarding the spoon in the sink. Her coworker sounded like her when she had returned to the wizarding world. "You're in the right place. The Hogwarts library has all the resources to brush up on your spells, but my advice, the Restricted Section—oh, hello." Cairo immediately forgot what she was talking about as he joined her at the counter. "Welcome to Hogwarts, Lawrence Hale," she said, shaking his hand and subtly checking for a wedding ring, it was an old trick she'd learned over the years.

Cairo found his deduction amusing and laughed, a delightful giggle escaping before she let out an unrestrained snort. She quickly brought a hand to her face, feeling embarrassed. "Alas. Muggle Studies," she replied, lowering her hand, her face a little flush in the cheeks, "I'm Cairo Keller." Her gaze lingered on Lawrence for a moment longer, finding him quite handsome, before she shook the thoughts away. "Divinations? That all goes over my head, I'm afraid. Is it a particular interest of yours?" she asked, curious to get to know him better and understand why Lawrence Hale had come to Hogwarts.

 

[Lawrence Hale]

If anything, speaking to this woman - Cairo, a name that was certainly too unique to easily forget - was incredibly reassuring to Lawrence. While he certainly wasn't terrible at magic, he hadn't had much occasion to practice beyond what simple charms he could get away with at home, free from prying non-magical eyes. "It's a pleasure to be here," he responded, with a smile. It was probably a bad look to flirt with his coworkers, but it wasn't his outright intention. Just...if the opportunity came up...

He smirked a little at the response about Muggle Studies - that wasn't a surprise at all, really. Though he was tempted to say 'oh, well I just assumed it was Charms because you're charming', but that would've been awful even by his standards. "Ah, Muggle Studies, of course," he instead replied, playing up his reaction just a little. "Bless you for teaching something practical. Divination? Oh, yes, absolutely," Lawrence replied, looking around to see if any other professors were listening, and lowered his voice. "Well. There are certain aspects of it that interest me. But I prefer coffee to tea and I can't see the future, and I use playing cards for poker and not fortune telling. I do like teaching, though, so we'll fumble our way through the year, surely." He gave a conspiratorial smile. "That's just between us, of course."

 

[Professor Cairo Keller]

Cairo leaned in slightly finding Lawrence far more interesting to talk to than most other professors, "Practicality. You've got me all figured out," she said with a smirk. She tilted her head, considering his words about Divination, her lips curling into a smile. "Perhaps a friendly game of poker after hours would be an excellent way to help you prepare for your lessons? Purely professional purposes of course. And don't worry, your methods are safe with me," She tapped her nose a couple of times before she leaned back, leaving the offer open. It had been a while since Cairo had played poker but she felt confident she could pick it up again.

 

[Lawrence Hale]

Lawrence was pleasantly surprised, wondering if he should be a little wary but not really too worried about that. It was a nice change to have co-workers who weren't already off in cliques, and also attractive. His lips curled even further into a smile as he leaned further into the counter. "Mm, yes, I'm very good at reading people," he said, wanting to talk himself up a little after having just undermined his qualifications. "Oh, I certainly didn't think you'd have any other motives for the suggestion," he teased. "Perhaps a purely professional drink to go with it?" Despite his enthusiasm for the job, Lawrence was also looking forward to the opportunity to make adult friends and not be inside the school walls all the time.

 

[Professor Cairo Keller]

Cairo's eyes were her give away, crinkling with amusement and a hint of something far more interesting as she met Lawrence's gaze. "A purely professional drink to go with it. That sounds wonderful." She let her gaze linger on him for a moment longer before taking a sip of her tea and deciding that it was time for her to go.

With a graceful movement, Cairo straightened up and adjusted her robes, giving Lawrence one last, lingering smile. "Well, lovely to meet you but I best get back to work. I'm going to hold you to that game of poker, though, Professor." she said, her tone carrying a promise of future encounters. With a final smile, she turned and walked away, leaving behind the faint scent of her fruit tea in her wake.