Open Turning Back The Clock

[Professor Kahurangi Josephs]

Kahurangi had always enjoyed thinking outside the box when it came to Halloween costumes, but she had to admit she had entirely outdone herself this year. The long hair was the part that felt strangest, tickling her shoulders and the sides of her face in a way she absolutely wasn't used to anymore. She had strapped the guitar that had accompanied her to many a university open mic night firmly to her back, and tried hard not to worry about her daughter. Tonight would be her first full night without Hinemoa (who was having a sleepover at Kahurangi's parents' house,) and though she had no doubt everything would be fine, Kahurangi couldn't help her mind flicking back to Hinemoa every few minutes.

But she had to stop that. She finally had a night to herself, albeit one dedicated to making sure costumed teenagers stuck to the school rules they often struggled with on nights not dedicated to mischief. So having managed to put together a group costume with so many of her colleagues felt like quite the accomplishment. It was quite revelatory and amusing seeing how the people she worked with every day had looked in their pasts, and was a fun reminder that just because they were teachers didn't mean they were all stuffy and serious.

 

[Maria Madison]

As hyperbolic as the expression felt, Maria couldn't help quietly thinking she had simultaneously experienced all 7 stages of grief simultaneously when she heard about the staff costume group. Coming back to work at Hogwarts had taken a lot of steeling of her nerves, and even more hoping that nobody here recognised her. It had only happened once so far that she was aware of, and to her relief Aeon hadn't made her life at Hogwarts any harder for it. Her time as a student was something Maria was determined with every bone in her body to walk away from.

So the thought of turning the clock back, even if it wasn't all the way back to how she had looked as a student, was... frankly, it was horrifying. Far more frightening than any ghouls or ghosts Halloween had to offer. The mental gymnastics she had gone through were something Maria knew she would strongly discourage in one of her clients, but it had taken a lot of conscious effort to get out of the cycle of fear of being recognised vs. fear of people thinking she had something to hide. After making a conscious effort to step out of that and focus on what she was so afraid of and why, Maria had finally made up her mind. She would turn her look back to how she had been as a university student, so far removed from the prim and prissy prep she had been at Hogwarts. That would feel safe enough, without actively hiding from her past. Forgiving the angry, hurt young girl she had been at Hogwarts was a long process, and hiding from her would never be productive.

So she had changed her appearance enough to return to how she had looked at university, not even remotely as collected as she had tried to be at Hogwarts, and looked in the mirror for a long moment before giving herself permission to be vulnerable. There was no use catastrophising - if she was recognised she was recognised, and she would take responsibility for her past ills. And if not, she would get to participate in a fun group activity with her colleagues. It was a relief when the first member of the group she saw was a woman she wasn't terribly familiar with, who hopefully stood no chance of recognising her, and Maria made a beeline for Kahurangi, greeting the woman with a smile she hoped didn't belie her nerves. "Feels strange going back in time like this..." She mused by way of greeting, hoping to keep things vague and friendly enough to avoid scrutiny.

 

[Professor Elvera Le Fey]

When elvera had heard of Kahurangi's idea of a big group costume for the staff. She had brewed up some de-ageing potion and gone through an old chest of clothes at her mums house to find a dress. she was looking forward to being young again. it was with a new kind of energy that she made her way down to the great hall. she had never really been self-conscious about her body but she had never really embraced it either. but standing in front of the mirror as sh was getting ready she really appreciated how she looked when she had been younger. once she reached the great hall it took her a minute to find the rest of the staff. after all, they didn't look like they usually did and while she didn't think she had changed much she had and everyone else had too. "Hello ladies" she said coming to stand next to them. "Itsn't it funny how much things have changed even if you don't notice." she said.

 

[Quinn Mercury]

Quinn never usually attended the Halloween Feasts, even though she loved to dress up and be in costume. She had always seemed to be preoccupied with work and whatnot. But when she had heard the idea of the staff group costume, Quinn wasn't gonna turn down the offer. She had thought that the idea was a great idea and had always wondered what her colleagues had looked like many years ago. Quinn had felt a bit odd when she looked at herself in the mirror. Not seeing what she had looked like ten or so years ago. It had been a long time and she had flashbacks to the odd outfits she had worn. Quinn quickly made her way down to the Great Hall and looked around for the staff. However, it did take her a bit as she had remembered that they were their younger selves and not their current selves. "Hello Hello! Doesn't this feel a bit odd?" Quinn says with a small chuckle, as she looked around the small group and then around the great hall.

 

[Professor Landon Carter]

Landon had never really dressed up for Halloween before. He wasn't as creative as many of the other people at Hogwarts, and so never really thought it was worth it, but when he heard about the theme going around with the professors, he knew that he had to be part of it. He spent a while thinking of what he wanted to look like. He debated having fake abs and dressing up in beach clothes, but had decided it was much too cold for that. Instead, he opted for the good old turtleneck and the gelled back hair. He was handsome, he had to admit, and he couldn't wait to show himself off.

The man entered the Great Hall, beaming around at all of the costumes. No one ever failed to disappoint on Halloween, and Landon loved that. Looking around at some of the professors, he was barely able to recognise them. Nearby he spotted some of his colleagues congregating, so she made his way over to them. "Hey guys! It's me, Landon!" he exclaimed, making sure they knew who he was and that he wasn't just a random student.

 

[Professor Matt Alcott-Ward]

Kahurangi's idea had been a fun one, but Matt had been a little worried. He wondered if it wouldn't be a bit confronting to suddenly see himself as he had been twenty years ago. Would he suddenly feel ancient? But seeing himself this way in the mirror had had a different effect. Matt had felt almost bad for the young man he'd seen looking back at him, knowing how much he'd had to struggle until he had found himself where he needed to be. Also, he had looked rather awkward when he was young. He supposed that was a relief. It wasn't very difficult to find his colleagues, though it was strange seeing them all look significantly younger. "Uh, hey. You all look great." He said as he approached. "This is weird." He added. "I hope no one mistakes any of us for students." He added, glancing around.

 

[Aeon Summers]

Halloween had always been one of Aeon's favourite traditions at Hogwarts. It wasn't quite as popular in this part of the globe as it was elsewhere, but he would be lying if he said he didn't love the opportunity to dress up in silly clothing, and just celebrate a night of spookiness. It had been a few years since he'd taken part in the school's celebrations, opting instead to dress up with Brodie and go out in town with some friends, but he couldn't pass up on Kahurangi's fantastic group costume idea. In the end, he'd gone slightly overboard with the ageing potion, turning out looking just a bit younger than he'd intended, and as a result had to shrink down and transfigure a few clothes to have some that would fit. His wardrobe had long since been purged of old clothes, and the robes he'd had from his school days had been passed down to his son.

Entering the Great Hall, it didn't actually take the man all that long to find the other professors. In fact, it was like seeing a few ghosts - excluding the actual ghosts that were floating around. He stuck the plush husky he'd bought from a store - and enchanted to wag its tail and bark every so often - under his arm and strode up to the group with a wave. "I finally look as young as I feel." He laughed, taking a moment to really take in the faces around him. Seeing Elvera in particular reminded him of their time as actual students, participating in the festivities.​

 

[Professor Misha Haden]

Misha had found looking in the mirror at his younger self a little...well...odd. He was in his late 40s now, but in his heart he still felt the age looking back at him now because of halloween. but he didn't let himself linger on it, just went to the halloween feast and spotted all the professors. Though they were all much younger looking, he could still tell they were quite a bit older than even the oldest kids. He walked over to them and gave a little laugh. " I certainly now look as young as I feel everyday too, felt distinctly odd to look in the mirror," he joked to them hearing the tail end of what Professor Summers had said. He'd joined the school at about the age he was now pretending to be, perhaps a bit older. "What do we do now....cause mishief.....?" he joked. ​

 

[Professor Mallory Grayveson]

Mallory had not thought this through. She didn't realize how her legs were going to be so short. She finally made it down to the hall, huffing and puffing as she trotted up to the other Professors. She thought it was them, at least. "Hi!" She called up to them. She was barely four feet tall, and the others all looked like... well, how Mallory looked normally. She swallowed, feeling even more intimidated. She had always known she was younger among the Professors, but seeing the young group of teenagers compared to her childish six year old sized body really reminded her how young she really was. "So, which one of you ancient ones will give my short self a piggy back ride for the rest of tonight?" She asked, laughing lightly to try and hide her nerves.

 

[Cyndi Kingsley]

Professor Kingsley had taken a few liberties with the time frame. If she was going to have the opportunity to be younger for a night, ten years just wouldn't do. So she had gone back to what one of her favorite ages - just after she'd begun working at the castle. The professor had even managed to get her father to send her one of her old outfits, and while she wouldn't have chosen this particular outfit herself, it had brought back some memories.

With some additional magic to get the fit right, the professor had ended by putting on the necklace she'd found in the pocket of the pants. She certainly felt like a blast from the past. "I've got you!" the professor chuckled. She actually wasn't even sure which professor it was that was in front of them as a child. It was a blast however to take them all in. "Brilliant idea, Kahurangi" she grinned.

 

[Professor Elvera Le Fey]

Elvera watched as more people joined the group. some of the professors she recognised because she had known them that long ago. but some of the professors she didn't. Aeon she knew. they hadn't bee friends at school but hovered on opposite ends of the same group. Cyndi had been her teacher all the way through ancient runes. Matt had been a couple of years older than her as had Kahurnagi. though she must admit the lady looked so different. others she hadn't known when they were younger but you could tell who they were from their mannerisms. then a child came over and she had no clue. she chuckled as Misha asked if they were meant to cause trouble. "If you are going to you should let aeon know. he always had a reputation for a bit of trouble" she said. "If i remember right this isn't the first time you have used anti-aging potion in the great hall" she said. vaguely remembering a food fight from years ago.
she looked around the group to see if anyone was claiming them before she realised it was one of the professors who had either had too much anti-ageing potion or was one of the younger professors. she had known many of the staff for so long that she forgot that some of them were far younger than her. it took a minute or so to work out who it was. a mixture of excluding those it wasn't and trying to focus on seeing the lady or girls past or future. "I can't promise all night, but I can give you one for now." she said. ducking down to let her colleague climb up.

[Edit: thread referred to for your reference if curious ]

 

[Professor Kahurangi Josephs]

Kahurangi hadn't really thought about how difficult it would be to all recognise each other until people started arriving. She was at least recognisable enough herself even without her tattoos, as the only Māori member of school staff. But the others were a real mixture, though she greeted everyone as they arrived. Kahurangi laughed brightly at the sight of Matt, giving him a small, cheeky elbow. She had forgotten how scrawny he had been when they were young. "Almost forgot what you look like without glasses." Kahurangi grinned, taking in just how much the years had changed him. She was shocked when one of the younger professors showed up as a child - she had thought the younger members of staff would take fewer years off, but she couldn't help a giggle at the sight. It was definitely a creative idea. She was relieved when Elvera offered to carry her, busy enjoying her own freedom without the weight of a baby on her hip.

 

[Maria Madison]

Maria's nerves grew at first as other staff joined the group, though she found herself relaxing slightly as nobody said anything, even if they did recognise her. She shot Aeon a nervous look as he approached, but otherwise stayed quiet, trying to just face her fears about her past and be part of the group. If she was recognised, she was recognised. It was a relief when one of the professors showed up looking about six years old, and Maria couldn't help chuckling at the sight. It was easy to forget how young some of the Hogwarts staff were, and she wondered who it was that had gone so far back.

 

[Professor Mallory Grayveson]

Mallory was looking at the other Professors, smiling as one of them lowered down. She walked over, letting herself be picked up and looking around at the others now that she was on their level. "I think if you guys are going to cause mayhem, you should pick the kids in class that are the biggest troublemakers. One up them," she offered, smiling impishly.

 

[Professor Matt Alcott-Ward]

The amount of professors who were part of the group costume was a bit surprising, but Matt was glad about it. Matt smiled at all of them in greeting, still clearly seeing who everyone was until one of the professors showed up as a little kid. He couldn't help the small laugh that escaped him, remembering how young some of his colleagues were. He glanced at Kahurangi as she spoke to him. "I look so weird." He told her with a nervous laugh. "At least you look like yourself, more or less." It was strange to see Kahurangi with long hair, but to him, it seemed like she had changed less over the years than he had.