Professor's Meeting 2045

[Katherine Alicastell]

It was the start to another year, and as Katherine could only hope - a good one. The previous year had gone well, compared to the unruliness of prior years, and she was satisfied with how smoothly things were finally running. It had taken a lot of work, and she felt there was still work to be done to further improve the school, but she was pleased with the progress and confident it would only do better from here. The woman stood to the side of the common room, dressed in her usual lavender robes - hair tied back into a tight bun, and waited for the arrival of her staff members, idly glancing at the clock overhead every so often. One of the house elves had laid out some basic snack foods atop a small table, nothing overly exotic, as they'd already worked so hard to prepare the start of year feast, but enough for any peckish attendee to be satisfied with. With the school doing better, there was little that was necessary to be discussed today, yet these meetings were a good way for new employees to be introduced and meet their co-workers, however long or short their stay would be, as well as give all the staff an opportunity to voice opinions or concerns. So, the Headmistress waited, hands clasped behind her back, to see who would show up first.
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[Eduardo Orbon]

Eduardo was grateful to have been allowed the sabbatical he needed to help his family after his mother's passing and all following changes made necessary for the estate. It had been a difficult time but it was a necessary break. Even with that, he was glad to be back at Hogwarts and if he weren't worried he would seem like a suck up by doing so at the meeting he might have thanked Professor Alicastell in person once more as they had a meeting when he had gotten the news and had written each other prior to his return. He had understood that Professor Harrington had done a good job in taking care of his students but he wanted his students to remain his students so the man arrived quickly to the planned meeting. He had to exchange words with Kennedy and this would be done later but for now the man nodded his head politely and said, "Hello."​

 

[Kida Frost]

Coming from training with her team Kida was still in her training uniform when she touched down in the school grounds, tucking her broom under her arm she brushed her hair out of her face and made her way to the Professors Common room for the meeting.
Staff Meetings were slowly becoming more and more of a family affair as she saw her Aunt and her Cousin there as they were also on the teaching staff, Kida chuckled slightly at the idea of her other Cousin Sern becoming a teacher but she doubt he would be teaching anything anytime soon.
Walking into the Common room Kida was the first to arrive which was unusual, she looked at the time and raised an eyebrow. 'Hey Aunt Katherine, Am I early for once?' Kida said as she shrugged off her coat and hung it on a coat rack and rested her broom beside it.

Moving to table she picked up a handful of pretzels and popped them into her mouth whilst she waited for the Other Professors to arrive.

 

[Professor Matt Alcott-Ward]

Matt tended to be late to things, a trait he hadn't managed to shake no matter how hard he tried. But he figured it was best to hide that trait from his boss and coworkers as best as he could and tried his best to be early to the meeting. It seemed like he had managed to be fairly early, and he sighed in relief. These meetings were always nice, especially because he got to meet new teachers this way. It felt like only yesterday that he had been the new one, but this would be his third year teaching. He greeted Katherine, Eduardo and Kida casually and then took a seat to wait for the meeting to start.

 

[Cyndi Kingsley]

Professor Kingsley had misplaced the notice about the meeting, but she'd noted the time down beforehand so she was able to arrive on time. She simply had to hope the note hadn't fallen into the wrong hands, not that anything particularly secret would happen at the meeting. They were usually pretty boring, though she knew they were necessary. Entering, the woman greeted her boss and colleagues before taking a seat in the middle of the room and waiting for the others to arrive.

 

[Professor Kahurangi Josephs]

Kahurangi never realised how much she missed the bustle and busyness of the school until the holidays ended and she got to return to the wonderful chaos of classes and students and, of course, coworkers. Determined not to be late she headed down to the Professors meeting early, relieved to see that a few of her coworkers were still yet to arrive. Smiling to the small group already assembled, Kahurangi gave a small wave as she took a seat next to Matt. "Kia ora koutou*, did everyone have good holidays?"

*Hello everyone

 

[Professor Landon Carter]

Landon was very excited to be back at work for another school year. He had missed teaching his students and spending time with his colleagues and he was eager to get the year started. The man entered the professor's common room for their meeting and beamed when he saw familiar faces. "Hello!" he exclaimed, taking a seat in the middle of everyone else. He acknowledged the Ancient Runes professor. "My holidays were great! How were yours?" He gave her a friendly smile, genuinely happy with how his holidays had gone. He was happy to spend his time with Georgiana when he wasn't working and felt that those holidays were the best he's ever had.

 

[Sarah Harrington]

Sarah headed into the Professor's lounge for her first Professor meeting. Last semester they hadn't had an official meeting as far as she knew and now this was the moment she'd be seeing a lot of the Professors that she hadn't officially met last year. Some were talking as she came in and she had a smile on her face and a bounce to her step. Maggy was here and sorted into Hufflepuff and Sarah was glad to see her daughter in her cousin's house. "Hello everyone!" She said as she sat down in an empty chair.
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[Bella Matthias]

For one thing, Bella was glad that the school had gotten a new Headperson. She couldn't imagine having her old Headmistress as her boss, though she was sure staff would have been able to get away with more back then. Bella anxiously entered a room she had never been in before, looking around, unsure where to sit. She definitely didn't want to sit next to any of her old Professors. Everyone around her seemed so bubbly and happy to be back at work, and though Bella was excited, she wasn't about to go and hand out flowers and sing songs. The blonde folded her arms and found a seat by herself.

 

[Oswin Pond]

Oswin rushed into the room, her hair flying everywhere and her reading glasses askew. She had just heard that there was a Professor's Meeting and she didn't want to be late. "Hey," Oswin smiled, out of breath. "Looks like I'm a bit late to the party!" She looked around the room for an empty seat and finally found one, sitting down with a sigh.

This was her first ever Professor's meeting as Oswin was recently hired for the position of Care of Magical Creatures Professor for 3rd and 4th years, and she was definitely looking forward to it! She wondered what was usually discussed in these kinds of meeting and whether or not it would be boring...

 

[Kennedy Pratt]

With new professors each year, Kennedy was beginning to feel like one of the older professors here at Hogwarts and she wasn't sure whether that was a good thing or not. Either way she had settled well into Hogwarts since starting and hoped all the newer professors would settle nicely as well. The Hufflepuff Head of House walked into the common room where other professors were now gathering and smiled at them in greeting, nodding at the Headmistress as well. She noticed Eduardo was back from sabbatical and wanted to catch up with him but that would have to wait until later so she merely smiled and waved at him in greeting as she took a seat beside Cyndi. "Hello Cyndi," she said to her fellow head of house, "am I correct in assuming that was your son that was sorted into Gryffindor?" The boy with the same last name as Cyndi could very well just be another relative, but judging by the tears the woman had been in when he got sorted into Gryffindor, she had a hunch she was right and Kennedy grinned at the thought.
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[Professor Misha Haden]

Professor Misha Haden was entering his thirteenth year of teaching, the prospect of this filled him with joy. he had truly found his passion in the class which he taught, in the kids that were in front of him everyday. The man walked into the meeting room for the first and most important meeting of the semester and glanced around at the other professors, noting many familiar faces and many non-familiar faces as there always were. The man wandered over to the side to get himself a tea before turning and looking towards the front where the headmistress was sure to begin telling them about this that or the other that was important in this semester. He sipped his tea slowly as the room filled, he made sure to look out for Jon but was far more interested in this meeting just being over.
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[Ryder Warrick]

Things were different for Ryder as he made his way back to Hogwarts for the new semester. He was now a married man and couldn't remember a time he had been so happy though it sucked to leave his wife behind to go back to work. Ryder made his way into the Professor's common room for the first meeting of the year and took a seat after he helped himself to a cup of tea. He could already see a couple of new faces and he could remember how he felt being the new guy. Something he still felt like.

 

[Sylvia Hartley]

Knowing that attending the first meeting of her new workplace was the next item on the agenda for the day, Sylvia made sure to finish up her work in order to arrive with plenty of time to spare. As she walked into the room, she was greeted by the sight of a large number of people who had managed to arrive before her, and Sylvia pursed her lips slightly in the hope that her relative tardiness wouldn't make the Headmistress look poorly upon her. Sylvia didn't particularly care what anyone other person in this school thought of her, but if she couldn't prove to the very woman who had hired her that she deserved the position she'd been given - that would be a problem. Still, it seemed the meeting hadn't actually started yet so Sylvia took a seat and tried to look friendly, even if she didn't quite want to introduce herself to anyone yet. She'd rather observe the group dynamic to see whom got along with whom, and then begin making connections based on that.

 

[Maurice Welch]

Leaving Mei behind was never a fun thing to do but he knew that he would soon see her again as the two had agreed that they would spend the Christmas holidays together this year which he was really looking forward to. Noticing that his friend was back from his sabbatical, the Herbology Professor winked at the man when they made eye contact with one another and walked towards the side of the room to lean against a wall while he waited for the Headmistress to talk.

 

[Olive Layton]

For the first time in their lives, both Olive and Leda were attending the same school, even if they weren't both students together. Olive was grateful she would be able to see her younger sister more frequently, and excited she would finally have the chance to do what she loved most. Olive was under the impression she didn't know any of the current Professors at the school, but with her head held high she tried to seem as confident and relaxed as she could. Quickly the room had filled up with staff members, and finding a seat to the side she waited to see what was going to be said at the meeting. It was certainly a daunting prospect but after the last few years it was something Olive felt she was ready to be thrown head first into.

 

[Archie Renner]

When Archie was at school he had many other things to think about than what professors got up to during meetings and in their spare time. In fact with both a club to run and a quidditch team to captain, it had been the last thing on his mind. But when he received a note about a professor's meeting the temporary professor could not help but ponder what on earth went on behind the doors of the professor's common room, especially during meetings at the beginning of the year. He wondered if there was some sort of yearly agenda to meet, if the professors would warn each other about rule breaking students, or even if they simply partied whenever they could catch a break from the stresses of their days. That last thought was particularly unlikely and realistically impossible but Archie had no other way to fill in his mind's blanks as he walked to the professor's common room.

When he arrived he was met with the humble sight of employees interacting professionally rather than doing anything exciting. Though it was admittedly disappointing to Archie that the other professors weren't partying, he was happy to see the faces of all the professors that were now his colleagues, some he recognized and some that were brand new to him. One of the familiar faces was his old head of house and Archie made a beeline for her when he spotted her, approaching the woman with a wide smile on his face. "Hiiiiiii" He greeted as he chose a seat next to her, then turning his attention to the headmistress as he waited to see what was going to happen during this meeting.
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[Kalif Styx]

Professor Kalif Styx was dealing with a huge amount of stress, which was the only emotion that showed. It was odd to see any emotion other than irritation on the man's face, but it was difficult to hide. Kalif entered the professors common room once he figured it was time. He was not surprised that there were new faces, since they came and went constantly. Kalif found himself a corner and stood there, overlooking the entire room, waitig for the meeting to start and end, so that he could retreat back to his office or study.
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[Jon Phillips]

Jon felt significantly less stressed as he returned to Hogwarts for another year of teaching. After going through the equivalent of hell in his personal life and even feeling obliged to meddle in his brother's life, too, during his previous year and the school break, he had returned with the focus to simply work because he enjoyed it rather than as a distraction from other things and for that he was happy. He walked into the annual professor's meeting, immediately spotting Maurice and Eduardo. He also spotted a face he recognized from somewhere else but trying to seem cool and collected, he only smiled and waved to his good friends before moving to the refreshments table to make a cup of coffee as he waited for the meeting to begin. Jon could not recall any problems that happened during the previous school year so he assumed the meeting would be somewhat brief and have nothing too major to mention to any of the professors. He hoped this would be the case and the year ahead would be smooth sailing for everyone.
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[Katherine Alicastell]

Greeting the staff politely as they entered, Katherine allowed them all time to briefly catch up and exchange niceties, as well as ample time for the stragglers to join in, before deciding to move on with the meeting. The Headmistress walked to the center of the room to get everyones attention, taking a quick note of who was and wasn't present, before finally starting. Thankfully there was little needed to be said this year, and they could all go back to socialising or working before too long. "Thank you all for coming. To start us off, I'd like to introduce to you our new professors this year. As some of you may know, Arvo is in Mexico, so substituting for his Arithmancy classes this year we have Bella Matthias and Sylvia Hartley." The Headmistress gestured to the two women as she spoke, allowing them time to introduce themselves if they hadn't already, before moving on. "Replacing Merrythought for Magical Creatures we have Oswin Pond," Katherine had been far from impressed by the young girl's disheveled appearance and seeming lack of timely organisation, something she hoped wouldn't be problematic with her classes. Professional inexperience came with youth, she supposed. "And in Astronomy's lower years we have Sarah Harrington, and for Potions upper years we have Olive Layton. You might also remember Archie Renner, a recent graduate, who is filling in for Justin as our flying instructor." Allowing again for time to exchange introductions, she continued. "In Justin's absence, I'll be filling in for his role as head of house for this semester, so please keep me informed if there are any problems with his Ravenclaw students and I'll deal with them accordingly. That said, I'd like to remind everyone, particularly our newer members, that good behaviour both in and out of the classroom can be rewarded with house points, so keep an eye out." Positive reinforcement and rewarding those who lead by example was absolutely necessary for a more positive school environment, and it certainly seemed to be working. "As I also said last year, I'd like to see personally invasive questions kept to a minimum, including asking students about their blood status unless deemed absolutely necessary to the situation. With all that said, the floor is ope for any questions or concerns. Otherwise, that concludes our meeting."
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[Wren Louise]

Wren was present in the room long before the other Professors, but it wasn't diligence that brought him down early, but his usual haunting of the Professor's common room. His blanket was present but nowhere in sight when the Headmistress walked in to start the meeting, and the Frenchman made himself very small and pretended to be a potted plant so as to not catch her attention. He wasn't genuinely frightened of Katherine, but if she caught him snoozing like the first time they'd met, he wasn't likely to be so lucky a second time. He positioned himself just out of her eyeline and deemed it safe to nod off on occasion.

Wren missed his lutin. Arvo always helped him stay awake for the introductions, and when he jerked awake, the room was filled with unfamiliar faces amongst the familiar. He looked about helplessly, but there was no time to introduce himself before Professor Alicastell began her address. At least, he thought melancholically, I was awake for this much. I must speak with Lucius. Perhaps there is a stronger Pepper-Up available. He was taking in the new Professor's names subconsciously, but his focus was on the tasks for the year, and, satisfied that he was doing his job according to his contract with the school and that little had changed, Wren relaxed and waited patiently for the questions and comments.​

 

[Monty Pendleton]

Monty arrived at the professor's meeting quite late and slipped quietly into the back of the room, where he hoped not to be approached by any of his colleagues. Fortunately, he'd not missed much of Professor Alicastell's speech, though he felt a frisson of fear anyway for his late arrival. His anxiety had much improved over the last few years, but he still had the odd day when persuading himself to leave his office took ten or twenty minutes, thus delaying him in his schedule. Still, he was here now. Monty made mental notes of the meeting, and then, when it had concluded, hung back to apologise to the headmistress, feeling almost like a disobedient student. "I, um - I wasn't feeling well," he said, unsure whether the professor would sympathise with anxiety. As if to attest this, he then left promptly, without staying behind to chat.

 

[Olive Layton]

Olive was watching as the Professors continued to enter the room, and only hesitated when she spotted someone she hoped she would mistaking for someone she knew. Not wanting to focus on him too much in fear that she would be noticed staring, she turned her head away tried to concentrate instead what other people around the room were saying. Soon enough though, the Headmistress walked into the centre of the room and proceeded to introduce the new Professors. Once the meeting had been concluded, she wondered if anyone had something to add, hoping that they would be able to get back to their classrooms as soon as possible.