It seemed that for the very first time ever, Professor Virohsa was one of the first to arrive at the table. She calmly sat down as she glared coldly at the noisey students. They all seemed to enjoy engaging in the paintful torture of using their vocal cords to their highest, and probably most outrageous levels. It certainly was a new year and hopefully, not to be invaded by death eaters.

Julia walked into the Great Hall and quickly snuck up to the Staff Table. She glanced at Professor Virohsa, who had already arrived. She put a finger up to her mouth, then laid a note down where Professor Lainey usually sat, and then quietly giggled at what it said.

Quote:

Dear Professor Lainey,

Just so you don't have to worry... there shall be no food fights this term.

Signed,
Julia Agoobwah

With a slight smirk on her face, she did her James Bond rolls over towards the Ravenclaw Table, quite happy to be back home.

Professor Virohsa frowned at the child and wondered if the girl had casted some type of dark spell on that envelope. She decided it would be best to wait and warn the poor unsuspecting Professor Lainey... just in case.

McAiken enters the Great Hall as the upper forms begin to enter. He smiles as he walks down the center aisle towards the staff table. He speaks to several students as they call his name. Andrew feels refreshed because after the wedding he took a vacation for the first time in several years. He even found time to watch some of the European Quidditch Cup tournament in France during the holidays. Scotland had performed well but again failed to win. Andrew remembered all to well their last European Cup Tournament championship. He had captained the team to victory just before he began to teach at Hogwarts.

When he reached the table he took the second seat on Rae's right. Doyle would be first on her right and Lainey first on her left. He preferred not to sit next to her so he chose the right side to sit on. Those thoughts sadden him for a moment and he shook his head as if to chase them away. He took a drink from his goblet and waited for the other staff members to arrive.

Mr. Thorn entered the Great Hall through a side-passage of the massive chamber, wearing his usual black robes and vibrant blue cloak. He paused a moment to flatten his now considerably longer and rebellious black hair before proceeding to take his usual seat to the right of the high table.

He poured himself some pumpkin juice and swept his eyes over the Hall as he took a sip from the goblet he had just filled moments before and waited for the rest of the Staff to take up residence in the remaining empty seats, all the while his thoughts still wrapped around the letter and Daily Prophet article his uncle had sent him over the summer.

Matthias Wenlock entered the hall and approached the staff table, his mind immediately taking in the number of professors already seated. He would be the fourth. A frown appeared between his brows as he pondered this, but decided that it wasn't an unfortunate number... for now. He stopped briefly where he knew the Headmistress would soon be seated and left a neatly wrapped package by her place setting. He was unable to attend the reception party for her wedding in Hogsmeade, as he was facing an unexpected encounter with a number 6. Inside the package was a framed portrait of a number 7 and 8 beautifully enterwined (the character numbers of both the bride and groom). Matthias personally would not choose anyone who's numbers did not match his own perfectly, but a 7 and an 8 could be compatible.

Matthias straightened his neat, though somewhat mismatched robes, as he took his seat. His eyes scanned the table and mentally took stock of the number of place settings, silverware, goblets, centerpieces and napkins. He took a small instrument out of his pocket and set himself to the task of adding up the numbers he was seeing as he waited for the feast to begin.

Hazelle entered the Great Hall and gave pause, the last time she had walked through those doors, she had been a mere seventh year. How things had, and hadn't, changed. The food smelled as good as ever. She came to realise she had actually missed the old Alma Matter.

She began to walk through the Hall to the staff table, involuntarily glancing around. She chided herself because the only people she would know would be Lee, his friend, and perhaps some of the professors, though that was looking unlikely. She saw two she recognized from the reception dinner, and one other she didn't. She vaguely remembered McAiken, Rae...err, Branxton?, and Lainey, but the rest.....things sure could change in four short years.

Hazelle stepped up onto the raised level of the staff table and took a seat.

Andi Mao-Macdougal Zizhen walked into the Great Hall, her skirts swishing about her legs. Her dark hair was neater than usual, the bun heavy against her neck. She gave the scuffling, screaming students a rather less disgusted look this time round (which wasn't saying much). But then, the term was new and no one had had real time to get on her nerves.

Quietly, the Charms professor took a seat next to a man with what looked like an abacus. Probably the Arithmancy professor.

As a student would say: Duh.

Andi rearranged her skirts, crossing her legs and steepled her fingers as she stared out below at the milling mass of children and teenagers. Already the Slytherins, mindful of their heritage, were trying to look evil; the Gryffindors, likewise ancestorial minded, were generally being big-mouthed (did they call it brave?) and glaring at the Slytherins; half the Ravenclaws were pretending to read big books, but were really staring about them; and the Hufflepuffs just... they were just there.

She felt tired already. "How ghastly to be back," she murmured, playing with her fork.

A young first year who stood up from the Slytherin table, and with a glass of pumpkin juice in her hands, she made her way to the Staff table. She quickly curtsied and smiled "Pardon me, I realize you are enjoying the feast, so I will be quick" she said "My name is Cassandra Trelawney, I'm a first year and I just wanted to introduce myself and thank you all for the wonderful feast." She raised her glass in toast, took a sip and went back to her seat at the Slytherin table.

Nikolai approached Professor Mao MacDougal uncomfortably. "Erm, Professor, I was..er..instructed to hand this to you." he said, holding a folded piece of parchment out to her. With that hastily given message, he spun around and stalked back to his seat at the Hufflepuff table.

Matthias looked up from his computations as two new professors seated themselves at the table. They would be numbers 5 and 6. He pondered on this for a moment before turning to number 6 who was sitting next to him, "Number 6!" he greeted the woman with the bun, "ghastly to be back?" he asked pleasantly. "Did you have an encounter with a number 4 already? That can really spoil a day, hahaha," he laughed at his own joke as a student approached the woman and handed her a message.

Lainey had brought her dinner, as usual, in a paper bag. Surprisingly though, she found herself not to be as tardy as usual. She'd even beat Rae. That was a bit suspicious she thought. Lainey shrugged and took her usual seat on the other side of Rae's chair.


Lainey nodded at the few faces she didn't know, and to those she didn't know too. She was looking much paler than usual, she noticed as she sat and caught her reflection in her goblet. But also in the reflection was a piece of parchment. She picked up and read it quickly, then grinned over at her House's table and Julia. Lainey wiggled a playful finger at them. They knew to behave this year at the feast.

Matthias noticed as number 7 took her seat and nodded his way. He smiled pleasantly back and wondered who she was. In his opinion, Number 7's were the most perfect numbers.

Lainey eyed the man eyeing her. She raised an eyebrow his way as she took her sandwhich out of her bag. "Who are you again?" Lainey asked. Her eyes traveled over his robes and shirt and his interesting choice of color combinations.

Matthias beamed at number 7 when she spoke to him, "Matthias Wenlock," he replied cheerfully, completely immune to her expression, "Arithmancy professor. And are you truly number 7?" he asked hopefully.

"Wenlock," Lainey repeated. It always helped to say names outloud for recalling them later. "Excuse me, but am I what? The number seven?" Lainey stared. She'd been called lots of things before, but seven had never been one. "Isn't seven a lucky number? I'd say I'm the opposite of lucky, if that is what you mean." And who knew what on earth he meant.

A discussion about numbers, Matthias couldn't be happier! "Indeed," he replied, "the number seven is a very lucky number! And you are the 7th person to be seated at this table," he smiled happily at this observation. "But are you indeed a 7 in your character traits? What is your name?" he asked the lady, who to him seemed not at all unlucky. He wondered why she said this, but decided to wait on her name before asking. He got his pocket abacus ready.

OOC: ARGHHHH! NUMBER SEVEN! *dies* *cries*

Andi received the letter, her eyes narrowing down. "Thank you, Nikolai," she said, taking the letter from him, she was about to unfold it when she was spoken to by the odd man with the abacus. She stared at him like he was a nutter.

...which he probably was...

After a pause, in which Andi was trying to make sense of what seemed like nonsense, she came up with, "Are you referring to the fact that the number four has connotations with death due to the Chinese habit of punning, shi (four)and shi (death) having the same sound to them?"

There was a rustle of paper as Andi opened the letter.

"How much did he bribe the headmistress?!" said Andi, her fingers clutching at the letter suddenly, a red flush rising in her cheeks as she read the bold, heavily written words. Meet him at Hogsmeade?

Is that a date?!

No, no, must calm down, calm down -

Calm down, dammit!

This year wasn't shaping up to be very good.

"Errm... Professor Lainey. Anjelica Lainey." Lainey caught herself counting the other staff members. She had indeed been number seven to arrive. Lainey went back to staring at this odd man.

Matthias smiled at the interesting and knowledgable professor, "aaaahhh," he replied thoughtfully, again quite immune to his audience's expression, "I was thinking more on the fact that 4's can be somewhat confrontational. After all, it's too soon in the term to be talking about death, isnt it? hahahahaha," he laughed at his own joke.


Matthias hastily calculated the professor's numbers, "Anjelica Lainey - you are a 4!" he announced, inwardly disappointed, he wanted her to be a 7.

"Is that supposed to be some sort of joke?" Lainey asked, really quite astounded at the cruelty of it. "Death and me being number four? Very funny, haha," Lainey said sarcastically. "Laugh it up. Hardy har." She took a large bite of her sandwhich and went back to staring at nothing instead of the uncoordinated new Arithmancy teacher and the less than charming Charms professor.

"Ah...ha...ha..." said Andi. "Even if I didn't recognize you, I'd gather you were new. This is Hogwarts, we're talking about and trust me, if you don't attempt to kill a student, or four, aha," she said sourly, "it's too soon."

She glared at Andrei's letter. "And not just students either," she said ominously.

Matthias blinked at Professor Lainey, nonplussed. He couldn't figure out her tone at all. He quickly re-calculated her numbers. Sure enough, Anjelica Lainey was a 4. He didn't see where the amusement came in at that, especially at the mention of death, but he decided to laugh woth her anyway. "hahahahahaha, yes very funny," he agreed.

Hazelle watched as one woman and Lainey regarded their rather odd table mate. She had to admit to herself he was a bit out there. What really caught her attention, however, was that both women took to offense rather quickly.

Death? The number 4? Lainey? Well, Lainey had seemed to know about Voldemortist being out, and even now she looked as pale as death. Probably just a coincidence. She herself never understood Arithmancy, so she never tried to suppose and assume on that which she didn't know.