Y51 Start of Year Feast

[Professor Kalif Styx]

After a great amount of first years, Styx sent the hat back off to where it came from. Styx had absolutely no idea who half of the professors were, which he could say that he was relieved that Haden was not among them anymore. He gestured with his hand for the students to settle in, as he was about to start the announcements. Most of them should be used to it via their previous headmaster. "Now that everyone is sorted, I have a couple of things to say." Styx paused as his onyx eyes washed over the students.

"My name is Professor Kalif Styx and I am the headmaster here at Hogwarts New Zealand. I used to be the Slytherin Head of House previously. Some of your parents or even grandparents may remember me." Styx was here for a long time, and he wondered why he was still here. Of course, he was sort of tired of some of his family members getting away with stuff without more watchful eyes. Therefore, he would keep a close eye on them, alongside the other students before their graduation. "The Heads of Houses are behind me." Styx motioned to each one as he introduced them.

"The Head of House for Gryffindor is Professor Cade, for Hufflepuff - Professor Carter, for Ravenclaw - Professor Josephs and newly appointed Head of House for Slytherin is Professor Dubois." Styx had used the descriptions from his family to point them all out - with the exception of Josephs and Carter as they were here when he was in some form. "I won't repeat the rules again. There are no new announcements for now, so the feast will now commence." As if on cue, the plates filled up with many different foods that the elves prepared. Styx turned to sit down in the Headmaster seat, and sipped his tea from his goblet.

 

[Professor Geovanna Adler-Cade]

Professor Adler almost spat out her tea when she saw who was now sat at the Head of the Professors table. Sat next to her husband, the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor was doing her best to remain as subtle as possible, but the flush to her cheeks was clear as she peered across the long table at Professor Styx, the man who'd made the very subject she now taught an inspiration. She'd wanted to be an Auror for as long as she could remember, but she still thought back fondly on her third year classes, doing her best to impress the man who was now addressing the whole school. She could barely take her eyes off him, even once his speech was over and he'd sat back down. It was really him, right there in the flesh. Merlin, Geo hadn't seen him for years and suddenly it was as though she was right back to her 13 year old self. "Should I go and talk to him?" She asked James, her voice giddy with excitement, "Welcome him back?" She could only hope he remembered who she was.

@Professor James Cade

 

[Elise Ito]

Elise couldn't not believe she was starting her last year at Hogwarts. She thought she still had so much time when Ezra had graduated now it was her turn and it made her head spin, where had the time gone? It truly felt like she had blinked and now she was a grown up, or at least almost a grown up. She had never had much direction outside of her art and she doubted that would change in a matter of months. But part of her was hoping that maybe she'd be able to soak up her last year. Maybe she could care about the school events she usually ignored? Maybe she'd finally go to one of Lucy's quidditch games? She blinked slightly when she heard the new headmaster speak, she was still getting used to him. He spoke so formally and she thought it was odd. But she also knew she wasn't someone who could really go around calling anyone else odd. When the food arrived she turned her full attention to the person next to her, "Can you pass the juice?" she asked pleasantly.

 

[Naveen Khatri]

Naveen was maybe for the first time eager to get back to school. After he was asked to take over the Wild Patch Club he had spent most of his holiday planning how he would overhaul the whole garden instead of just the small corner he had already taken over for himself. There would be plots for flowers and pumpkins of course for the dances, but he had a whole vegetable rotation planned and he was eager to get his hands dirty. He always found the sorting ceremony rather boring and this year was no exception. There was a new headmaster now who seemed rather serious. Finally the food arrived and he served himself quickly, he was starving.

 

[Sybil St. James]

Sybil was nervous. The whole year was looming in front of her like a sea serpent ready to strike and the semester had yet to even start. She was terrified for her OWLs which felt reasonable after her years of less than stellar grades. Some how she had still ended up with a prefect badge which was a relief and her father had seemed happy about it, happier than he had been about her captain's badge. She sighed heavily as her stomach did a sickening little flip. She had to do well this year. It wasn't just her grades and future in the balance but her house and her team's reputation. Usually she liked watching the sorting ceremony but this year she kept her eyes focused on the wood grain of the table and tried to keep her lunch down. She was hardly aware of her surroundings until the feast began the smell alone made her shiver. "I think I need to get some air." she choked out even though she doubted anyone was listening.

 

[Doyle Mooney]

Doyle was a little sad to be back at school. But it was only because he had such a good break. He spent most of his time with his dad and grandpa, which was always nice but not exactly exciting. But he had spent the last two weeks of his holiday camping with his old school friend's family. He was one of the only friends he still kept contact with and it had been great. For a while he kind of forgot he was magical and he had a whole secret life. It had been hard to keep this whole part of his life secret but it had been worth it. Part of him worried it would only get harder, but for now he was happy. Doyle had spent most of his ride to the castle looking through his books to see if he had actually forgotten everything or if it'd be like riding a bike once classes started again. He was hoping it was the second option. He blinked when he realized there was a new headmaster, or had he forgotten that too? He shook his head when the food appeared and he started to serve himself.

 

[January Parish]

January was still beaming after watching June get sorted. She was silently disappointed her sister didn't end up in Hufflepuff but if she was being honest with herself she wasn't surprised. They had always been so different despite having the same parents and everything. She was a little worried about her little sister all the way in the dungeons but she knew she'd be fine....hopefully. She had been so focused on this day since she had been sorted she hardly knew what to do with herself. It was done, it was over. With a sigh she brought her attention back to her house table, and was a little wary about the new headmaster. He seemed rather....harsh, but she wasn't about to say anything. When the food arrived it was a welcome distraction.

 

[Ulric Vale]

Ulric felt strange. He had survived his first year at Hogwarts without incident which he was grateful. His brother was in his last year so it was only a matter of time before he would finally be free. He was counting down the days. The holiday had passed in a blur as he kept to himself, or close to his mother's side. He had missed her while he was at school and he missed her again this year. It made him feel small and a little foolish but he couldn't help it. He was at least excited for his lessons and to finally dig in to all the new books in his trunk upstairs. He frowned slightly at the new headmaster when he mentioned he was previously the old Slytherin head of house. No one else seemed to react so he just shifted in his seat until the food finally arrived and the noise of everyone talking at once drowned out any other thought he might have about the situation.

 

[June Parish]

June couldn't believe it was over, just like that. The hat had sealed her fate and now she was surrounded by green. Good thing she liked green. She felt so small at the table full of other students, especially the older ones who all seemed to know each other. Which made sense, they probably did. June couldn't shake the feeling she had recognized one of the girls who had been sorted before her but she had ended up in a different house so it wasn't like she could track her down, yet. June felt like her eyes were going every direction just trying to take it all in. A small part of her wished she had been sorted into Hufflepuff, at least she'd have someone familiar close by. But she shook that thought away quickly. She didn't need her sister, she would be fine. As if to prove the point, the food arrived and she dug in.

 

[Felix Layton]

Felix was sat at the Gryffindor table with his shiny new badge pinned onto his robes, trying to figure out who else had been made prefect from the other houses as the ceremony was underway. He'd been delighted to find out Tori was joining him from their year, secretly hoping that maybe it would give them the chance to bond again after the weirdness that was their previous year.

By the looks of things, Lilith had had a badge too, and Eoghan. He turned behind him to the Hufflepuff table however expecting to see Jonah and Susie with badges too, although apparently neither of them did. He kept his thoughts to himself, but felt a little bad for his badger friends that had been working so hard over the years. In fact, he couldn't find Jonah at all in the crowd. He shot a glance in William and Lumos' direction, hoping to catch up with them later.

He was glad to see Sybil and Winnie had also been made prefect although Felix knew that only meant to was going to have to give every detail of the prefects common room to Amory. Felix had no doubt he'd want to know everything it had to offer. Bea had been right, too. There was a new Headmaster this year and he seemed so warm and fuzzy, as he gave his speech before the feast began.

A movement in the corner of his eye had him glancing up to see Sybil, swiftly leaving the room the first chance she had. "I'll see you in a bit," he whispered to Nia, the fourth year he'd been sitting next to, planting a kiss on her cheek before removing himself from the bench and headed out after the Slytherin. Maybe it wasn't his place, but she hadn't looked too happy and this year he was trying to make a bigger effort with his classmates. "Sybil! Wait up!" The fifth year called after her. This was already proving to be an intense start to the year.

@Mania Athanasiou
@Sybil St. James

 

[Luke Lagowski]

Luke was starving because in the anticipation of coming back to school, he'd forgotten to have breakfast. A few gummy worms and a generous helping of chocolate buttons on the train had done little to curb his ravenous stomach, and the second year wished the feast would appear on the table while the sorting ceremony was underway, just so he didn't have to wait.

It was crazy to think that it had been him on that stool just a year ago. So much stuff had happened since then, and he'd grown up so much. At least an inch. As the food finally arrived, Luke got stuck in, his manners thrown out the window as he made a b-line for his favourite dishes with little consideration for his classmates.

 

[Freddie Lagowski]

The sorting ceremony was always fun to watch. Freddie liked to guess who was going to be a Ravenclaw, though it was sometimes hard to tell. No-one would've ever thought he'd be a Ravenclaw, after all. He clapped extra hard for everybody that joined his table, and boo'd the Gryffindors, because it was funny and no-one could hear him over the applause. Entertaining as the ceremony was, he forgot all about it as soon as the food appeared and tucked straight into some roast potatoes.​

 

[Sofia Morse]

Sofia was starting to think there wasn't going to be any dinner. The last boy had been sorted, and she still couldn't smell any cooking. Her stomach grumbled loudly. Surely they wouldn't make everyone go to bed without any dinner? Maybe witches and wizards didn't need to eat, so they just didn't bother. But why have hundreds of empty plates on the table if they weren't going to eat?

She blinked. The plates had been empty, a second ago. Now they were piled high with the most delicious mountains of food she'd ever seen: roast potatoes and lamb, buttery mash, carrots sprinkled with herbs and glazed in honey. There were pies and freshly-baked bread cut into thick slices. Sofia didn't know where to start. She tonged slices of roast lamb onto her plate as quickly as possible, afraid it was going to disappear as suddenly as it had appeared. Best day ever.​

 

[Eris Athanasiou]

Eris stared, completely unphased by the new headmaster, as all the formalities were being dealt with. She wasn't feeling too hungry, matter of fact her annoyance at her living quarters had come back with full force at the return to school. She'd gotten a room with a window on the second floor no less for the duration of the break, her usual room back in Greece. Now she had come back, reminded of the fact that she had to reside in the musty dungeons where the only window she could open might let some maggots in.

Once the sorting ceremony was officially over Eris kept her eyes trained on the new headmaster, weighing whether or not it'd be worth a shot in her second year to go up to the man and demand a new house. By the looks of him though she might be better suited taking the dungeons, with a smile on her face while at it. But she really hated the musty dungeons. Urgh. "You think it'd be worth a shot to talk to the headmaster about relocating to another house?" She whispered to the student nearest to her. "Perhaps Ravenclaw?" That'd be good enough for her, matter of fact it'd be more than good enough. It'd be as high up as she could probably get dormitory wise.

 

[Professor James Cade]

James knew what was coming when he saw Professor Styx at the head of the professors table, but even he couldn’t have predicted just how giddy his wife would be at seeing the man she had crushed on during her time as a student. Though if her reaction was anything to go by, he had to question just how in the past her crush on the older man was. James had never understood her or anyone’s crush on the older man; he didn’t see the appeal of him at all. But he had learned a long time ago not to disparage Professor Styx to his wife. “You definitely shouldn’t, let the man settle in first,” James spoke softly to his wife. He didn’t want to dampen her excitement, but if Styx was the man he remembered, then he likely wouldn’t welcome a beaming Geo welcoming him back to the school. But he could always be wrong. “Maybe catch him later in the staff meeting,”

@Professor Geovanna Adler-Cade

 

[Ares Zephyr]

Ares had been seeing how far he could lean back on the bench as the sorting ceremony was undergoing. He'd decided he could almost put his head between the Gryffindor and Slytherin table, and if a Slytherin leaned back they'd probably touch heads. Gods this was taking an age. Had it taken this long when he'd been sorted? He didn't think so. Maybe the third year was just keen to get back to his bedroom, the one he'd been plucked from at Christmas by his parents. He hoped none of the other boys had started using his bed as their personal wardrobe or something or they'd be sorry.

As soon as the food arrived, the chatter and munching began all around him, the occasional student running off the moment they were free to. He didn't blame them. He started to turn his nose up at the amount of students that were helping themselves to the chicken or roast lamb, no regards at all to what they were actually eating. He made a blegh noise as loudly as he could get away with without talking to anyone explicitly, hoping someone would ask him to explain his problem.

 

[Rose Glass]

Rose was sitting a few seats away from Freddie, doing her very best to ignore him but failing the moment his head was turned. As the new Headmaster spoke to the students, Rose was distracted by another familiar face in the crowd. Her eyes widened and sparkled as she realised what this meant, a large smile on her face as she grabbed the arm of a Ravenclaw next to her, "My mama's here!" She turned again, throwing a hand up to wave at her most enthusiastically, not caring whether anyone else thought she was strange for doing so. If she was their mama, they'd understand. Rose peered through the tables across to the Gryffindor table, trying to catch the eye line of her siblings who were currently talking amongst themselves rather than taking note of one of their newest Professors. Typical Gryffindors.

 

[Professor Wendall Layton]

Wendall felt like an imposter sat at the Professor's table, where so many of those he admired had sat before him. He was in particular doing his very best not to ruin the wood, determined that today would be a spill-free day. He'd made sure to look at the goblet when he picked it up, and used utensils that were less likely to scratch anything (including his colleagues). As one of the students from the Ravenclaw table started waving at him, Wendall smiled, raising a hand and waving back with as much enthusiasm. He didn't recognise her from here, but presumed she must have been one of his daughters friends. It was then he realised his daughters were home schooled. They'd never know who this girl was either. He gave the woman to his left a side eye, dropping his hand back into his lap sheepishly trying to establish whether she knew the student instead, only to be met by a familiar face. "Syrah?" He asked. He was sure she was the woman who worked in the Mall.

@Professor Syrah Glass

 

[Mania Athanasiou]

Mania was extremely excited for another year, though this year there wasn't another Athanasiou joining the chaos it was still exciting watching the sorting. Nia had made sure to give everyone some cheers as they made it to their houses, but she'd given a little extra to those who'd joined their house. Once they were given the go ahead to eat Fifi suddenly excused himself, by giving her cheek a kiss no less. Blushing Nia gave a nod to the prefect, wondering where he might be off to but deciding it wasn't her place to ask about it. Instead she focused on the food and people around her, smiling at all her friends and the new little lion's that had just joined them. "So, anyone got any big plans or goals for the year ahead?" Nia asked conversationally from the people around her.

 

[Professor Syrah Glass]

It was weird being back at school and even weirder to be at the Professor's table at a school on the other side of the globe from her old school no less. One that eerily looked like the castle she'd grown up in. Watching all the new students be sorted brought back fond memories for Syrah and she made sure to clap for each one, thinking how she wished she could have clapped for each of her children when they'd been sorted. Reminding herself she was here now Syrah scanned the students, noting one of her daughters, Rouge, and son, Blanc, sitting in the Gryffindor table. They didn't seem to notice their mama's presence, but that was okay. She'd surprise them later. As the woman's eyes scanned the Ravenclaw table it didn't take too long for her to spot Rosé, for the girl was already waving at her. Raising her hand at the same time as the Professor to her right did, Syrah returned her daughter's wave with a bright smile. Hearing her name from the Professor that had just waved at Rosé with her Syrah turned to look at the man. At first she didn't know how he knew her or where his face was familiar from, but then it clicked. He'd taken over the Apothecary. "Yes, hello. Wendall, right?" She returned with a soft smile.

@Professor Wendall Layton

 

[Professor Adorah Zumwalt]

Adorah was still in shock that she had started her seventh year as a full-time professor. She'd been so young starting out - it was wild how things had changed and, of course, what had remained the same. She still wished Noel were by her side, but knowing that they each had to do what was best for their careers, she tried not to think about it too much. There were quite a few new faces sitting at the table with her as students were sorted, but the returning ones surprised her. Professor Styx had been someone she'd not wanted to cross while in school, and now he was back as Headmaster. The former Ravenclaw wondered how that was going to impact her day-to-day, if it even would, and mainly, how it would affect the demeanor of the students. It seemed like it would be less likely that shenanigans would happen as often, something Adorah didn't necessarily mind, but she hoped they all felt like they could still enjoy themselves. She listened through the speeches, keeping to herself until the food arrived, and grabbed herself some roasted vegetables.

 

[Fiona Burke]

Fiona couldn't believe it was her final year at school. It was weird, to be honest. She didn't even know what she wanted to do after Hogwarts, and she knew if she had said that aloud to her mother, her mother would not be pleased about it. Not that Fiona cared anyway. Fiona clapped throughout the ceremony, noticing the new headmaster who was sitting at the staff table. His aura and presense was completely different to their previous headmaster, and Fiona wasn't sure what to think at the moment about their new headmaster. It wasn't long before the food appeared on the table, and everyone around her began to eat. The sound of chatter and the clattering of dinnerware was heard amongst her. "Our new headmaster sounds... cheerful, doesn't he?" Fiona asked the person next to her sarcastically. She wondered what the new headmaster was like.

 

[Thomas Fitzgerald]

No matter how many times Thomas came back to Hogwarts for the new year, he was always homesick and immediately wanted to go home. Thomas knew it wasn't long before he was graduating from this place, and he was unsure about that thought if he was being honest. Thomas watched the sorting ceremony, clapping along whenever a new firstie was sorted. He always liked watching the sorting ceremonies. They always were fun to watch. Predicting which house they'd be sorted into before the sorting hat had come to a decision. Though it wasn't hard to notice the different headmaster in the room. You couldn't really miss the scary presence that the new headmaster held. Thomas quickly started to eat his food when the food appeared onto the table.

 

[Sophie Shepherd]

Sophie was a little disappointed that she hadn't been picked as a prefect this year, though, due to her grades, she knew that wasn't possible. She knew her roommate had deserved it anyway. She seemed like a better candidate if Sophie was being honest. Sophie had to do a double-take at the staff table when she arrived. There were plenty of new faces on the staff table. Though the headmaster change wasn't an easy mess. He seemed like a strict headmaster from what Sophie could tell. With the way he spoke and presented himself. It wasn't long before it was time to eat. Sophie couldn't wait to go back to her dorm after the long trip.

 

[Theodore Harper]

Theodore was glad to be back at school. He was happy to see his friends again, as well as back to doing club duties for his and Miles' Quidditch club. Theo hated to admit it, but he was also excited for some classes this year and what they'd be learning. He had forgotten that they'd be having a new headmaster until Theo had noticed the man who sat at the staff table. Theo hates to admit that he looked a little terrifying. He had been lost in thought about Quidditch club ideas when he was pulled out of his thoughts when he felt someone grab his arm. He had been taken by surprise, confused for a second, catching up on what the person next to him was saying. Theo grinned at what the girl said to him. "Nice! Is she a professor here? What is she teaching?" Theo says with a grin, wanting to get a head start on who the new professors are.

@Rose Glass