Open Turning of the wheel

[Lydia Drage]

Chaperoning school events was not one of Lydia’s favorite job duties, but she had to admit the Yule Ball was quite nice. Besides, it was getting easier, now that she had learned the names of most of the younger years. She wore a floral dress she’d bought on clearance at one of her favorite clothing shops. After figuring out the halter neck and creating a new pocket in the side, she found she quite liked it. With her wand tucked away, she stood off to the side, observing the crowd of students, though not as seriously as she would have in the past. She was learning to relax a little. It was a relief to finally be more established as a professor; she felt less and less like an imposter every day.

 

[Lena Williams]

Lena had been tasked with chaperoning another dance. Maybe it was because she was one of the newest professors or one of the youngest, but thankfully, her mother had agreed to take Charlotte this evening so Henry could go out with friends while Lena worked. Finding an old dress in the back of her closet, she pulled it out, wondering if she had maybe worn it to a dance while in school but quickly realizing that she was definitely not the same size now as she was at 17. With a quick updo, she zapped off to the castle, lingering around the edges and noticing a fellow young professor nearby. "So, at what point in the evening will we see the first set of tears?" she asked lightly, giving the woman a smile as she reminisced on some quite terrible dances during her years.

 

[Professor Yvonne Dubois]

Yvonne had been looking forward to the Yule Ball almost as much as her students the past few weeks. She loved any excuse to dress up and even though she was just a chaperone she was honestly enjoying herself as she watched the students from the edge of the crowd. She had to stifle a few laughs from a few over heard attempts at flirting and while she knew she had to keep an eye out for any funny business she felt sympathetic as she watched several awkward dates try to dance together. She spotted Lydia and Lena, and joined them just. “Oh how morbid.” she said with a laugh. Yvonne hoped there would be no tears tonight but she remembered her own school dances and how that was unlikely. “I give it thirty minutes.” she guessed confidently.

 

[Lydia Drage]

Lydia grinned as Lena suggested that tears were a guarantee, not a possibility. She was about to make her own guess when Yvonne popped up with a suggestion. “I think I have to trust the Divination professor on this one,” Lydia laughed. She’d attended a grand total of two dances at Ilvermorny. Sure enough, there had been plenty of tears and drama, although she’d never been at the center of it.

 

[Lena Williams]

Lena laughed softly at her colleagues' remarks. "Hmm, I would say we can bet on it, but we're likely to lose that one." She thought all three of them looked rather classy this evening, unlike someone of the students she saw. One had even opted for a baseball cap - a weird but hold choice for such a young boy. "I just keep things realistic," she added, "as my final Yule Ball ended with punch down the front of my date, a third year stuck in between the railing, and sneaking one of my friends into my dorm room." Her seventh year had proved to be rather eventful, but thankfully, things calmed down after a stern talking to from her favorite professor. Hopefully, her daughter didn't inherit her tendency for youthful drama. "There's a particular group over there I'm worried about, but I suppose if they keep it to themselves, we're free to enjoy our evening."

 

[Professor Yvonne Dubois]

Yvonne laughed and gave an appreciative nod to Lydia but it honestly didn’t take an expertise in divination for this prediction. It just required an understand of teenagers which she considered to be much harder. “Now I’m starting to wish I went to school over here.” she said with a laugh as Lena shared some of her own exploits from her school days. Yvonne had been fairly tame at Ilvermorny but was not a stranger to sneaking off and away from watchful chaperone eyes. At the memory she swept the crowd incase anyone was dancing a little too close. “I say if we avoid any fist fights and keep tears to a minimum, we did a good job.” she said with a shrug.

 

[Lydia Drage]

Lydia’s eyes widened as Lena described her adolescent adventures. “Sounds like you’re the life of the party, Lena,” Lydia teased, smiling. She wanted to ask how a third year got stuck in one of the railings, but then, she wasn’t sure she wanted to know after all. “We should go out after this,” Lydia suggested, hoping Lena and Yvonne would take her up on it. A trip to the Hog’s Head might be warranted after a night full of teenage drama. “Oh, please no fist fights,” Lydia groaned, and then she added, trying not to look at Liusaidh Fergusson, “or glitter bombs.”

 

[Lena Williams]

Lena shrugged at her colleagues' suggestions that she was entertaining. She had been a bit more rambunctious in her younger years, but becoming a mother had switched her focus entirely. However, it didn't mean there wasn't still a natural urge to go and do something wild. At the same time, the castle would no longer be the place for such ventures. "As I'm sure you're aware, there's never a dull moment, here," she replied to Yvonne, making note of the student Lydia seemed to be focusing on. "I wish I knew more students. The ones I've had the past year have been very well behaved. Any particular faces I should keep an eye out for?" Lena questioned. "And yes, let's! I'd love a gal's night that doesn't involve children." Lena loved Charlotte, and Henry, of course, but sometimes, she just wanted to feel like herself again without the label of wife or mother.

 

[Lydia Drage]

Lydia really, really wished that she hadn’t been keeping an eye on Liusaidh Fergusson. Now, she was the one who would now have to go break up whatever dramatic mess had just transpired between her and Rosenberg. Too bad she couldn’t pretend another professor had seen it. Lydia sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Were we counting fist fights towards this thirty minutes?” she groaned. “Just watch and you'll see some faces you should learn, Lena. I’ll be right back…” She stepped away from her colleagues, beelining for the group of Slytherin girls.

 

[Professor Yvonne Dubois]

"Everyone in my class is a model student." Yvonne said sarcastically. It wasn't exactly a lie but she didn't want to jinx herself either. She was sure it was only a matter of time before she had to deal with her own difficult students. But she nodded eagerly at Lydia's suggestion. "Less children and stiffer drinks sounds perfect." she agreed with a laugh. Yvonne frowned as a commotion broke out amongst a group of girls. "I didn't but I am now." she said and shot Lydia a sympathetic look.