Open To Be On This Side

[Professor Minnie Calida]

Minnie Calida was at Hogwarts. She had left some six years before and had now returned as a professor. It hadn't been the career path she had really foreseen as she left, but Minnie felt ready. She felt like she could do this. Could be a professor. It helped that she was teaching Arithmancy and only had a single class in every year, preventing her from getting too overwhelmed with the nature of the work. It was just odd, to be at the staff table and not at the ravenclaw table. The kids at the table would absolutely not remember her, at best maybe the seventh years, but she doubted. Minnie's schooling hadn't been - in her mind - all that impactful on the school's history. Professor Minnie Calida felt unsure of herself as she tried to get some lunch together, trying to just focus on the here and now and not get lost in all the memories she had of this room.

 

[Professor Leif Odegard]

Being a professor wasn't something Leif would've ever imagined himself being when he was younger. Although perhaps that wasn't a fair thing to say when he had spend his last few years at Hogwarts, and a couple after, struggling whenever he thought about what he wanted to do with his life. It had taken him way longer to figure it out than he would've liked, but he was glad he had. Being a professor, teaching the younger years. It all just felt right. Like everything had somehow finally clicked into place. "Weird, huh?" He asked one of the new professors next to him, his tone light and friendly. "Being at this side of things." Leif elaborated. He couldn't be sure she had even gone to Hogwarts but she looked young, which meant being at a professors' table might feel odd, no matter which school she had attended.

 

[Professor Percival Zephyrmoon]

On the other side of the man sat Percival, lost in his own thoughts. When the man spoke, Percival grunted into life, "Huh, no, I didn't attend this school," he said, unaware that the question was not directed at him.

 

[Professor Minnie Calida]

Minnie knew being a professor would be different than being a student, and it seemed as another professor approached her that she wasn't the first to wrangle with moving to this side of things. She opened her mouth to reply and noted one of the other professors, a temp, seemed to think they were talking to him. Minnie wrapped her arms around herself a little and looked back to the other, younger professor. "It is. When did you graduate?" she asked him, though wouldn't shut down the older professor if he answered.

 

[Professor Leif Odegard]

Leif was a little surprised when the professor to his other side answered the question, suppressing a chuckle. "My apologies." He simply smiled at the man before turning his head towards the person he had asked the question. "That would have been.." He started his answer, taking a moment to think back on his graduation year. "2050, if I'm not mistaken." Leif finished with a confident nod. "What about you?"

 

[Professor Minnie Calida]

Minnie half expected the other man to also answer, but when nothing immediately did, she glanced back at the other man and gave a little smile. Their paths at the school did overlap, though not by much. She'd have been a second or maybe third year when he graduated. "2055," she said. "Ravenclaw," she motioned to her old table, could almost spot where she'd always favoured to sit. "I'm Minnie, arithmancy," She introduced to him.

 

[Professor Leif Odegard]

Leif nodded when the woman mentioned her own graduation year, only a few years after his own. He had to admit it was a nice idea to have a few more professors around his own age at the school. "Hufflepuff." He mentioned easily before actually introducing himself as well. "Nice to meet you, Minnie. I'm Leif, lower years transfiguration." He smiled. "So was becoming a professor the plan all along, or an opportunity you just sort of stumbled upon?" Leif asked curiously.

 

[Professor Minnie Calida]

Minnie nodded as he said his own house, knowing that them being in different houses did limit their lives crossing during school. Too many years between and a house too. She nodded too at what he taught, thinking for a moment on who had taught her lower years transfiguration and drawing a blank. "An opportunity I stumbled upon," she replied, not necessarily wanting to get in that she was doing it partly for the money. "You?"

 

[Professor Leif Odegard]

Even if he had graduated over ten years ago and had been back at the school for a little while now Leif still got flashbacks every now and then. Glimpses of what his life had been at school. He could almost see himself sitting at the Hufflepuff table but shook off the though, focussing his attention back on the conversation. "Yeah, same. Mostly." He nodded. "I mean I graduated from uni with the idea that I would find something in the educational field, but had never considered actually becoming a professor before." Leif explained with a laugh. "Haven't regretted it yet though."

 

[Professor Minnie Calida]

Minnie nodded as the man spoke, she was a little surprised that he had gone to university and wondered if she should've. She hadn't, and university had just not been on the books for her. She knew she likely wouldn't have managed well at it. "Seems like you ended up in the right place," she said lightly, given how he seemed to be pretty pleased and content with his position. "What are the students like?" she asked, motioning vaguely to the students.

 

[Professor Leif Odegard]

Leif gave a small yet content shrug at her remark. He did feel like he had miraculously ended up in the right place. After all of the struggles he had been through in deciding what he wanted to do with his life he was glad that he had though. It felt a breath of fresh air. "They're exactly what you would expect teenagers to be like." He grinned in response. "I mean they're quite well behaved in class most of the times, but there are always a few outliers. Don't think that's any different from when we were at school though."

 

[Professor Minnie Calida]

Minnie gave a little smile and then glanced out at the students. Her mind went to her own schooling, to Eric, to the fights, to the love, to all of the memories held within it. "That's good to know," she replied softly after just a small beat of silence. "That kids don't really change," she said. Though she knew she wasn't really going to be interacting much with them, given that she only taught two year groups.