Closed Settling In

[Joseph Burleigh]

Joseph had to admit it had been a little strange to be back at school after all those years. He had never expected to be back unless it was for his own kids' graduations. Yet here he was. In a teaching position. Something that had never crossed his mind untill he got word that there had been an opening. He had been happy doing what he did, taking care of the creatures that crossed his path, but he was used to having his kids at home with it for the most of it. When Ana Sofia had gone to hogwarts he still had Ivelisse at home and even though he didn't like to admit it his house had felt a little bit like an empty nest when his youngest had also headed off to school last year. Even when he knew they would still be home every break it was strange not to have them around, to have someone around he could tell about his creatures. Teach stuff. Which is what had made him realize that maybe teaching was for him and why he had grasped the opportunity with both hands when it came his way. Joseph knew teaching the older students wouldn't be the same as talking to his own daughters about creatures but so far it hadn't been disappointed. He liked to think that his students had at least some affinity with creatures if they had decided to go through with the class at OWL and NEWT levels after all. Having made sure all of the creatures he looked after at the school had been fed in the morning he had headed for the great hall to get himself some breakfast, which was a common occurence. He'd make sure he had taken care of the creatures first, before taking care of himself. Sitting down at the staff table, which still felt a little bit odd, he took a sip of his coffee as he watched some early birds sit down at the tables to get their own breakfast.

 

[Professor Mallory Grayveson]

Mallory had always been an early riser. After getting up, feeding her cats and watering her plants, she made her way down to the breakfast hall. She had just finished buttering her toast and spreading on a slight layer of jam. She set it down, smiling as a man sat next to her. He appeared older, and he was a new face she didn't quite recognize. "Good morning," she greeted him, spooning a handful of scrambled eggs onto her plate. She reached for the bacon, and then the hash browns. "Sleep well?" She asked, conversationally.

 

[Joseph Burleigh]

The perks of being early to breakfast seemed to be that the hall was still relatively quiet when Joseph had arrived, which he didn't mind. He quite enjoyed he calmness of seeing the hall mostly emtpy, yet he had to admit he enjoyed seeing the students slowly starting to trickle in after a little while as well. "Morning." He returned the greeting of the younger colleague he had taken a seat next to. "Pretty good." Joseph nodded in response to her question before taking another sip of his coffee, wondering if it would wake him up a bit more. "So are you a morning person? Or is this a rare occurence?" He asked with a smile, talking about the fact that she had arrived at breakfast quite early as well.

 

[Professor Mallory Grayveson]

Mallory smiled as the man replied, laughing lightly at his question. "I am a morning person," she told him, smiling. "What about you? Are you a morning person, too?" She asked, picking up her juice and taking a sip. She considered asking his name- would that be rude? She couldn't recall his name, and it bothered her that she didn't know it, but she didn't want to come off as rude so early in the morning.

 

[Joseph Burleigh]

Joseph nodded when the younger professor mention that she was, in fact, a morning person. He let out a soft laugh when she returned the question to him, slightly shaking his head. "Not specifically," He answered honestly, taking another sip of his coffee. "It's not much of a choice when taking care of magical creatures though." Joseph added. It wasn't that he minded much. Being a dad he had gotten used to being woken up early over the years so getting up early to make sure the creatures he was looking after were fed on time didn't make much of a difference. It was almost as if he still had small kids to take care of. Albeit bigger and more dangerous ones.

 

[Professor Mallory Grayveson]

Mallory smiled as the man spoke of magical creatures, shifting in her seat a bit to face him better. "You must be the new Care of Magical Creatures Professor." She offered out her hand. "My name is Mallory Corrins. I teach Charms, first to fourth." She told him. "This is only my second year at the school. It takes a bit to get used to. Are you settling in alright?" She asked, fussing a bit over the older man.