Open Still a newbie

[Lydia Drage]

While Lydia loved the coziness of her office, she was finding it difficult to concentrate today. She carried her mug of tea and third-year lesson plans down to the Professor’s Common Room. Perhaps the change in scenery would help shake out the fog in her head. If not, she could at least pass the time with one of her colleagues. When she’d joined the team earlier in the year, networking had been her lowest priority.

Lydia sat in an armchair by the window and pulled out her weekly plan. Boggarts, lethifolds, and werewolves- it was going to be an interesting term.

 

[Professor Angel Castillo]

The start of the year was always the hardest, with the greenhouses having been left to languish on their own for a few months while Angel was off doing other things. He knew he could always make arrangements to keep them in check before he slunk off on holiday with Josephine for two months, but it sounded like a lot of work too. Cursing his past-self, Angel had decided to escape to the staff lounge for a bit, trying to shake off the lingering chill of the New Zealand Spring and also get away from the throng of leaping toadstools that had managed to migrate into his office at some point.

Noticing someone else set up in the room already, Angel made himself comfy in an adjacent chair, eager for a distract to burn some time before he had to inevitably return to rid himself of some uppity fungi. "Ah, Professor Drage, settling back in for the new year?" He asked, taking a moment to carefully summon himself some coffee.

 

[Lydia Drage]

Lydia looked up from her abysmal speech about werewolves. She was worried she would never be able to do the lesson justice. She nodded at Professor Castillo. “This is my first time around with the third years, so I want to be prepared.” She smiled and added, “Also, Lydia is just fine.”

In truth, Lydia was weirded out enough when her students addressed her as Professor Drage. She wasn’t sure if it was her upbringing or her education at Ilvermorny, but she struggled with formalities.

The witch set down her Everlasting Quill and picked up her mug of tea. Then, she noticed something on Professor Castillo’s armrest. “Is that a leaping toadstool?” she asked, narrowing her eyes at the red and white fungus that had hopped up onto the chair.

 

[Professor Matt Alcott-Ward]

Matt always enjoyed the start of a new school year. He liked returning to the familiar Hogwarts halls, preparing his lessons and catching up with colleagues. He spent most of his time early in the semester in the Professor's Common room, as it was a relatively quiet part of the castle where he could still chat with colleagues if he wanted to. As he entered the common room Matt spotted Angel speaking to Professor Drage. He knew she had started as the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher last semester, but hadn't had much chance to talk to her. Matt smiled and made his way over to his two coworkers. Just as he arrived, he heard Lydia ask about a bit of fungi that Matt hadn't noticed yet. Matt laughed softly, watching Angel. "Can't resist taking your work with you everywhere you go, Angel?" He asked him as he took a seat near them. "Or is it part of your lesson preparation?" He looked at Lydia and nodded in greeting. "Glad to see you're settling in alright. How are you doing?"

 

[Professor Angel Castillo]

"Lydia," Angel corrected himself, raising his mug to her in acknowledgement. "I honestly can't decide if teach the teenagers is worse or not. I think the younger students scare me a bit," He admitted conspiratorially, not blaming Lydia for the extra prep in the slightest. Kids were meanest when they were younger, at least the upper year students Angel actually almost behaved like normal humans. And seemed less likely to touch things they shouldn't in the greenhouses.

Angel flinched when Lydia pointed out a leaping toadstool, nearly spilling his coffee as the damn thing hopped along the arm of his chair. "What can I say, I love my work," He said sourly, grabbing his wand to try and banish the wretched thing as Matt Ward joined them. The toadstool jumped past Angel's head as he went for it, and Angel craned his neck to catch where it'd gotten off to. "I've got a small battalion of them set up in my office. I think they're planning something," He said, sitting up more in his chair in case there were more.

 

[Lydia Drage]

“You can’t let the younger students scare you, Angel,” Lydia said, grinning evilly, “the trick is to scare them first.”

Sipping at her tea, Lydia greeted the History of Magic professor with a small wave. “I’m doing quite well, thanks.” She paused, debating on whether or not to bring up something that had been on her mind for months. “I’ve actually been meaning to drop by a history professor's office and have a chat.”

Lydia laughed as Angel swatted at the toadstool. Then, she thought, Merlin, I hope they’re not like rodents. Her rational mind said that no, magical plants were not animals, and they didn’t possibly reproduce in the same way, but… she didn’t want a horde of leaping toadstools occupying the professor’s common room. It was quite a lovely space.

 

[Professor Matt Alcott-Ward]

Matt watched with some concern as the toadstool jumped past Angel and seemed to get away. He wondered if they should try to chase after it, but Angel didn't seem especially concerned and if anyone would know that it would be him, Matt reasoned. As the History teacher he had it pretty easy, nothing he used in his classes ever ran away from him. At least, so far. "Are they supposed to be in your office?" He asked Angel with a slight frown. Something about the way he said it made him think no. He turned his attention to Lydia as she mentioned when had been meaning to drop by his office, curious. "Oh? For anything in particular?" He asked her. "Or is it simply because the history teachers are clearly the coolest ones?" He asked with a slight grin, even though he knew that wasn't the case in the slightest. At least when it came to him.

 

[Professor Angel Castillo]

"I think a healthy fear of teenagers is good for you," Angel said sagely, taking a sip of his coffee. "What do you think, Matt?" Angel asked, trying to gloss over his very recent encounter with the leaping toadstool. "I'm not sure where they came from, but they're certainly there now. I'll deal with them," He said breezily. Truth be told he was going to have to do something about them soon. He and the toadstools were already reaching an impasse before they'd started escaping out into the rest of the school. "They certainly keep you on your toes, if either of you would like a few to spruce up your offices."

 

[Lydia Drage]

Lydia smirked at Angel. She didn’t yet have a healthy respect for teenagers, since they hadn’t given her a reason to be scared.

Snorting at Matt, Lydia replied, “It might be both.” She grinned. “But really, I’m interested to know which dark arts practitioners you and Octavia cover in the curriculum. And if you have any ideas for others- especially witches. Wizards seem to get all the attention- thanks, Voldemort.”

“Hmm, no thanks, Angel, my office is spruced up enough.” Lydia adjusted in her seat, adjusting to the end of her cushion and balancing her tea in her lap. The witch kept her eyes peeled for the toadstool and was ready to jump up if it came anywhere near her.

Then Lydia had a morbid thought, and couldn’t help herself. “Are they edible?” She wondered what a leaping toadstool would taste like, sliced up and sauteed in butter.

 

[Professor Matt Alcott-Ward]

Matt laughed softly at Angel's comment about teenagers. "I don't know if it's good for you," he started, "but I definitely have one." He said, grinning slightly as he shrugged. He nodded as Angel said he'd deal with the toadstools, though he couldn't help but noticing the man seemed rather unconcerned. He laughed again at the man's next comment. "No, no thank you." He said. "My office is enough of a horrible mess with just me in it." He admitted. He looked at Lydia, who asked him which dark arts practitioners he and Octavia covered. Matt frowned, trying to think of the curriculum. "Well, I cover the founders in sixth year, and mostly mythology in fifth and a bit in seventh." He told her. "I'm honestly not entirely sure about Octavia, I believe she has Morgan Le Fey in one of her lessons, but I can't say for sure what else she covers. You'd have to ask her." Matt pondered it for a moment. "I'll have a look in a few books for some witches you could mention." He said, already itching to get to his office to do just that. He wasn't sure if leaping toadstools were edible, and he looked at Angel curiously for an answer.

 

[Professor Angel Castillo]

Angel laughed, unsurprised to hear Matt had a healthy dose of fear for his students. Angel had no issue with the history teacher, but he did rather give the impression that a stiff breeze might bowl him over. "Your loss," He said when both of them refused his very charitable offer of a few leaping toadstools. Though perhaps it was for the best. He hadn't yet figured a good way to get rid of them yet and bolstering their numbers in a few new places indoors was probably the last thing he needed. Matt and Lydia got to talking about history and Angel mostly tuned out as he sipped his coffee, keeping his eyes peeled for where ever that one toadstool from earlier had gotten while he feigned polite interest until Lydia addressed him about the toadstools again. "Oh, I mean probably," He said vaguely. "I wouldn't recommend it, I don't think they stop with the whole leaping thing, even when ingested, and I imagine it's quite uncomfortable."