Closed Long Time No See

[Professor Grace Holland]

It had surprised Grace a lot to see her old classmate at Hogwarts, but she was very happy about it. She hadn't managed to bond with her coworkers too much over the years. They were friendly, but not friends exactly. She was a bit older now, so she no longer felt as distanced from them as she had when she was hired at age nineteen, but there was still some distance there, at least in her mind. The fact that Octavia was hired as the new History of Magic professor made Grace happy, and as she entered the Professor's Common Room, Grace made a beeline for the other woman. "I never expected anyone from Beauxbatons to be here." She said with a grin. "It's so good to see you, you look great." She added, taking a seat near the other professor. "How have you been?" She asked her, clearly excited to talk to her.

 

[Octavia Pourroulis]

Octavia was more than happy to be at Hogwarts, she could keep an eye on her sisters, make sure they didn’t get into any trouble - intentional, or otherwise. She knew she had to keep an extra careful eye on the newest addition to the family. She wasn’t that surprised that she had been sorted into Slytherin, it did suit Em as a person. As long as she didn’t go looking for trouble, although she was certain she would at some point. She chuckled at the thought, and entered the professors common room, taking a seat in a sofa and getting comfortable so she could review the syllabus for the semester. She had decided to revise every week, in case she accidentally forgot something. She wanted her students to understand what she was going to teach them, and in order to do that Octavia needed to know her information very well, so she could explain it in a manner that wasn’t difficult to absorb. When she heard someone approach and sit down, Tavia placed her notes next to her and folded her hands on her lap, giving her old friend a warm smile. "Honestly, I never expected to see someone I know either," she said. "But it is very good to see you too, it’s been a while, hasn’t it?" Since they were in school together, which had been six or so years ago. She laughed when Grace complimented her. "Thank you, you look great too," she returned. "I’ve been pretty good actually. Before this, before I got the professor job, I was a beater for a Quidditch team. I honestly never saw myself stop playing professionally, so that I can teach." She paused, glancing at Grace. "What about you, how have you been?" ​

 

[Professor Grace Holland]

Grace nodded as Octavia said it had been a while. It really had been. "I don't think I've seen you since graduation." Grace said, which was a good six or seven years ago. Grace was surprised to hear Octavia had played beater professionally, she didn't remember her being all that interested in Quidditch. It was also a remarkably similar story to her own. "Really? Which team did you play for? I played myself, chaser for the Quafflepunchers. But that was only for a year. This will be my sixth year teaching flying here." She said, a little surprised it had been so long. "Why did you make the switch?" She asked her curiously. "I've been well. I'm still together with Dominik and we moved in together. He works at the Ministry here now." She smiled. "My little sister is staying with us too, at least she was until she came here. She'll be in your class soon too." She said, amused by the idea.

 

[Octavia Pourroulis]

Octavia thought about what Grace was saying. "Yeah, actually, I think that's exactly the last time we saw each other." It was crazy to realise that, as it had been at least six years or so. And it was amazing that they found each other again as both professors at Hogwarts, in the same country. At Grace's question on Quidditch, she smiled. "I played for the Flanders, as a beater," she replied. "Oh wow, how are you finding teaching?" She was aware that teaching a big bunch of first years wasn't always easy. Keeping everyone in line, and making sure they weren't getting too sidetracked. Being her first year as a professor Octavia had no idea if there were this many first year students at the school every year. "To be truthful, I switched to teaching partly because it was a spontaneous decision and I wanted to do something different, and partly because as the legal guardian to my sisters, I wanted to be closer to them. They're all students here," she said with a fond smile. "That's cool," she nodded. "I myself am with someone, but I'm still living at home, with my sisters while my parents are travelling for work," she chuckled. "Oh really? What's her name?" she asked Grace curiously, maybe she could keep an eye on the girl if Grace ever needed. Maybe she'd become friends with the latest addition to her family. "My youngest sister is starting her first year too, it's exciting."​

 

[Professor Grace Holland]

Grace was interested to hear about Octavia playing professionally. "We must have just missed each other. I only played for a year." She said with a small smile. Quidditch had always been her dream, but now she couldn't imagine giving up on teaching to return. "Its great, really." She said honestly. "Sometimes there are a few overconfident kids. Or years where it seem like gravity is stronger than normal where everyone seems to fall off at once. But... I do truly like it a lot." Octavia explained why she had switched to teaching, and she nodded in understanding. "Family is important." She agreed. "My sister's name is Violette. Maybe out sisters could be friends." She said, privately thinking Violette might need some help on that front.

 

[Octavia Pourroulis]

Octavia nodded with a smile. "Yeah, we must have. But it's really good to catch up with you," she added truthfully. Quidditch had been tons of fun, and gave her some amazing experiences, she'd seen places by travelling with her team that she'd never thought she would have been able to see otherwise. She listened to Grace talk about how teaching was, and the young woman couldn't help but feel excited to be teaching here. "I can understand that. Two of my sisters are very confident, one of them is crazy about the sport so I can only imagine having to look out for those kids too." She sincerely hoped that Em wasn't one of those overconfident kids when it came to flying. Confidence was good, of course, but not too much of it. "Violette. That's a beautiful name," she complimented. "My sister's name is Emori. She is very sociable, always looking to make friends. It could definitely be arranged." Plus, Octavia wanted her youngest sister to reach out to different types of people in her year, it would be good for her. ​

 

[Professor Grace Holland]

Grace nodded, taking note of what Octavia said about her sisters. "There's also always impatient kids who just want to go flying right away." She said, thinking back. "They always grumble about the slow pace of the lessons." She understood why, but also knew she couldn't teach every first year at a different pace. Especially with all of them in her class at once. Grace nodded as Octavia talked about her sister, glad to hear that she was more social. "Emori is a nice name too." She said with a smile. "Maybe we could encourage them to hang out." She wasn't entirely sure if Violette would appreciate her meddling, but she also didn't want her sister to be lonely. Grace knew she had to help her out, even if it wasn't something she specifically would have asked for.