The heels of her shoes echoed loudly around the Hall. It appeared she was yet again early to the Feast. This may be a good thing. It meant she would avoid the stares of the students as she made her way to the Dais. Then again, they would probably be staring at her the moment they got there so probably returning to teach at Hogwarts was a bad idea. Would they even want her to be teaching them after what she had done during the last academic year event though it had not been her fault? She had been cleared by Mungo's but the entirety of her returning had been up to her.

In the end, she had made the decision to return.

Obviously.

This evening, Kaysha was clad in a soft lilac dress with matching accessories. She smoothed the dress beneath her before sitting at her assigned spot. Blue eyes travelled to each of the House tables before she let out a sigh. There was one thing she was worried about and that was what the students would think of her.

Such a simple minded and too- friendly person she had been and it had been the reason the Williams twins targeted her.

Laurel put in the last earring and gave herself a lookover in her fullsized mirror in her Divination Tower office. She deemed herself and her white and blue flowery outfit ready to be googled at by hundreds of students at the Feast. Leaving her office the blond professor wrapped a matching scarf around her bare shoulders before walking down the many flights of stairs to the feast. She had planned with Kay that they should arrive early. Laurel was going to br there to support her bestie all through the night and year. Kay’s choice to return to teaching was a GOOD idea and she was going to make sure Kay understood it.

Coming into the quiet Great Hall, Laurel spotted her bestie up on the dais and beamed warmly up at her as walked between the house tables. Joining Kay on the dias Laurel reach down to give her Kay a half hug in passing as she whispered in her besties ear "You can do this Kay!" before proceeding to take her seat further down the table. Sitting down in her assigned seat near the center, Laurel fingered on her green snake hoh pin as her blue eyes went to the empty Slytherin table.

Noble's summer could reasonably be described as rather pleasant: uninterrupted brewing at his home in Oxfordshire, a few weeks travelling in France and Italy to sample exquisite food and wine, and several pleasant weekends watching his daughter Abigail play cricket for the Kent ladies' team, beer in hand. Relaxing it had certainly been; not that you'd know that with a glance. Perhaps there was the hint of a tan lining his features, but on the whole, his brow was as furrowed and tone as gruff as ever.

His stride was swift and purposeful as he headed down the aisle, a crisp white collar and cuffs poking out of the dark robes sweeping behind him. It was the sort of entrance he would have liked to have made last year: punctual and determined. He greeted Laurel as he reached the centre of the table, before turning right to head towards his seat. "Evening," he said to Kaysha, his tone unusually kiltered. He'd been rather surprised the woman was allowed to stay on, after the previous term's happenings. Well, more like three terms...was it not? It'd be a lie to say he'd respected her before, but it was even less so now.

With barely a second glance in her direction, he pulled today's copy of the Manchester Evening News from his robes and flicked to the back pages. Oldham Athletic had been in action in the Cup today, and he wanted to read the full match report. Now was as good a time as any.

The headmistress' heels clicked and clacked loudly as she made her way into the Great Hall and up along the long stretch of one of the House tables. Fortunately for her, however, the noise was drowned out by the students that had already started getting settled in. Regina paid no attention to that simple fact: that some had already arrived, and she was just a little late due to finishing up a letter that needed to be owled immediately. Just a quick gaze up at the staff table put her mind at ease, considering most of her colleagues had yet to arrive themselves.

"Well, well, well..." she hummed as she stepped onto the dais, her eyes momentarily locking in on each of those present at the table. Instead of making her way around from the left, she decided to take the path around on the opposite side of the table.

"Good evening, Ignatius," she said to the Potions Master. Not another word was said though, since she didn't want to interrupt the man's reading too much. Then her eyes, a glimmer of sympathy in them, fell on the Muggle Studies professor. "And to you too, Kaysha."

She then proceeded to take her seat at her throne beside the Divination professor. "Hello, Laurel. Any predictions about what might happen this term that I should know about?"

Hands folded, her head shifted over the four tables and the door of the dining room. She honestly hoped that the students made quick work of getting to the seats and that the rest of her staff made an appearance.

Kay kept her eyes down, not even the approach of anyone made her raise them. She was second guessing herself already about her decision to return. It was Laurel's all too happy and encouraging voice that cut into her train of thoughts. Not to mention, it made her start somewhat. "Oh. Hello, Laurel. I'm sorry I came ahead without you.'' She forced a smile. "Thank you. I hope so.'' And those words of encouragement boosted her confidence a notch.

But that notch was gone with the attitude of Ignatius.

"Good evening,'' Kay replied trying to catch his eyes. When he refused to meet them, she gave up (which was unlike her). Was she supposed to sit in silence because the Potions Master refused to have a proper conversation with her. Idly, her gaze turned to the other empty chair beside her. Surely Charles would not be that cold to her? He hadn't been earlier when they had arrived at the Castle days ago but that could change due to some influence. The though put a pang through her heart. They had become such good friends over the course of last term that she didn't want the friendship spoilt.

The woman lowered her eyes to her water glass as the students started to file in. This was usually a joy to watch but not tonight. The clicking heels got her attention. This was certainly a surprise, the Headmistress heading to this side of the Dais.

"Good evening, Regina,'' was her reply, a flicker of a grateful smile accompanying the greeting. Regina really was a sport for letting her return.

Tristan was running late...again. He hoped he could make it earlier, before all the students had arrived, but of course he had forgotten to give a sick Kneazle it's night time healing potion and had to run back to the barn before coming to the castle. 'Tis the life of a Creatures Professor.

As he made his way to the staff table, he waved, winked, and smiled at the students that acknowledge him. It seemed as if he was not the only late comer, which made him feel a little better about it. "Evening everyone," He said to all of his colleagues and the Headmistress as he made his way to his seat, making eye contact with everyone already seated.

Slinging his leather jacket over the back of his chair, he sat down and relaxed, waiting for the Headmistresses speech and the food to appear. He was so hungry he could eat an Erumpant.

Gaston hurriedly ran a hand through his dark hair as he entered the Great Hall. He'd been in his office chatting with his wife and daughter through a two-way mirror and completely lost track of time. He was a bit surprised to see only a few staff already at the table, and a quick glance at his watch revealed that he wasn't as late as he originally thought. Thank Merlin!

He smiled as his bright blue eyes scanned the house tables that would soon be full of students, and he waved to the ones who'd already arrived. As sad as it was to say goodbye to his family, a part of him was glad to be back. He'd missed them! Funny, he always thought that once he was a father, he'd stop caring for the students he taught, but that didn't happen. He still loved them as if they were his own.

"Good evening, Regina," he greeted, giving the headmistress a polite smile and nod as he approached the table. Merlin, it felt odd not addressing her by her title! But after working with her for four years (not to mention the Dufftown incident last term), he thought it was time to drop the formalities.

"Hello, Laurel, Tristan," he said, smiling at the two people seated near him. "How was your summer?"

"Good evening, Ignatius," he greeted the man at the other end of the table. He had a newfound respect for the potions master after last term. As opposite as their personalities and teaching methods were, he was the only other man on staff who was a father.

Gaston's heart skipped a beat when he saw Kaysha. He hadn't expected her to be back, and to be honest, he wasn't sure what to make of it. He was happy to see her -and he knew Rose would be thrilled to know she returned - but he couldn't help but worry that she might snap again. He shook his head to clear the memories of being attacked. He wasn't angry about it, well not at her anyway. He knew she'd never do that of her own accord, but he couldn't shake the fear that whatever the Williamses did to control her had caused lasting damage... and he hated himself for thinking that way. "Hello, Kay," he said, finally managing a small, slightly sad smile. "Nice to see you."

Haraldur was usually among the last to arrive. Not only to the feasts but to everything. He normally blamed it on his old age and got away with it. But opening feasts, he could blame that on the first years (and he did). He had to deal with the boats and everything for them. Stressfullllll. Consequently; Not his fault. After having his broom returned to him, he did show up at the feast faster than he would if he'd been forced to walk there. Gracefully (for once) he hovered into the Great Hall, nodding and greeting students as he passed them. Another term, another Quidditch Cup. Life was good.

When he reached the Staff Dais he dismounted and leaned his broom against the back wall. "Evening Kaysha." He said, giving her a nod. He was actually pleased when he'd found out that she was returning. Maybe more so because he wasn't a fan of the idea of someone new coming in and claiming her job. He didn't like changes. And he got the broom back so eh. It was all good.

"Tristan, hello my boy." Haraldur gave the man a pat on the shoulder as Tristan was taking off his leather jacket. "Gaston, good evening, had a nice summer?" He greeted his colleagues.

He would greet Laurel and Regina later when he took his seat close to them. First, he'd have chat with Iggy. Iggy Nobes. The man. Friend. But Friend was busy with the paper. Haraldur didn't really care. He shuffled over anyway. "Good evening!" He dropped a heavy hand on Ignatius' shoulder to get his attention. "Ready for another term, my friend?" Haraldur placed his elbow on the back of Celestia's chair, not really daring to take his seat since the Transfiguration professor could show up at any second.

It was a relief seeing that he wasn't the last professor to attend. O. Curtains was one of those people who often felt he was late when in reality he wasn't. Not being last to a meeting or event was what mattered - even if he was late, he felt infinitely better knowing that there were others even later.

He beamed and took off his bowler hat (shaped like a long magicians hat) as he approached his spot between Professor Stewart and the absent Professor Myers. "Good evening, Headmistress. How are you?? Good, right?" No professor had ever answered with a "terrible!" before, and he did not expect them to start now!

"And good evening to you to Kaysha! You seem very cool and composed today. It is great to be back at Hogwarts, isn't it? So many new faces!" He knew of her inner turmoil because of what happened with the twins last year. Saying she was cool and composed seemed like a good thing to say at that moment. It was still weird knowing she had been possessed all that time and no one had ever known.

"Laurel!" he beamed, leaning slightly over to address the Divination professor. "Love the outfit." Momentary pause. Did she know what he meant?"Sorry, I think I might have emphasized that like a question. What I meant was, I like YOUR outfit. It's a statement. I wasn't asking if you liked mine. Okay." Yes, he was indeed a weird one.

And there was Tristian. "Love that jacket, Tristian! It fits you, it fits you..." Who else had he NOT greeted? Ah yes, there was Ignatius looking very serious as he read the paper. "Good evening, Ignatius!" he said, raising his voice just in case the professor was too engrossed in his paper to notice what was going on. "Interesting read?"

And there was Haraldur. Haraldur was a man who usually arrived late to things, but this time he had beaten Charles. "Good evening Haraldur. How did you get here so quickly? Nice outfit, by the way."

"SO good to be back at Hogwarts!" he exclaimed, leaning back in the chair and looking around at all his colleagues and at all the students. So many new faces. Oh he just could NOT wait to educate and bore everyone with LONG, informative speeches and essays on the history of their magical world! He may have been socially weird, but his classes could put a ghost to sleep - or so he'd heard some of the students muttering behind his back.

Speaking of which...

Charles craned his neck to see if he could spot Hirsch. Where was that man? Surely the guy to ask was the distinguished gentleman reading the paper, right? Turning his attention back to the potions master, Charles asked, "Hey Ignatius, you don't happen to know when Professor Hirsch is arriving, do you?"

Paul wore a brilliant robe of velvet maroon tonight; a typical wizard's hat in black sat upon his head, and his feet wore shiny dress shoes. He was dressed to kill, apparently. But no, it was more that....it would be his last opening feast. He hadn't announced it to the kids yet, and he would do so in this coming week most likely. It would make things easier on himself if he did. Plus, he was terrible at secrets! Well.....this kind of secret.

So it was with a somewhat heavy heart he had entered the hall tonight. But no one would know; Paul had a bright smile on and waved at his colleagues as he took his seat. And when students arrived, he waved at them, too, most cheerfully. No need to be sad yet anyway. He had a whole term.

"It is nice to see you all tonight!" he called out at the staff dais, leaning back in his chair, his knee holding him against the table at an angle as he waved at those on the far ends of the table. Laurel seemed well, which was good. They all seemed well enough. He didn't really say hello to anyone individually tonight because it would make him a little sadder than he wanted. But if Iggy approached, he wouldn't turn down a conversation with him. After all, Noble had come for dinner over the summer and had left with some goodies from the vineyard. AND he had gotten a tour of Paul's private greenhouses. Fascinating stuff,.

Derf really had no idea what he was going to say once he got up here to the dais, though he mostly was hoping that the letter would speak for itself. Not literally, of course, since it wasn't charmed to recite what was written on it and it wasn't a howler - thank Merlin - but just a simple pass of paper from perfect to Head of House with pleading cruppy eyes ought to get the point across, right?

Swallowing and adjusting his tie a bit - also tucking in his shirt last second to try and make himself look a bit more presentable and formal since this was, technically, his first business acting as prefect for the term - the fifth year politely smiled at staff he made eye contact with (fleeting as it was) and muttered a quick apology to the Headmistress as he whizzed by her seat. Brief and to the point, that there was a bit of an emergency situation at the Hufflepuff table that required his Head of House's assistance. Though it was likely that staff had noticed the movements down at the table. Hard to miss an owl arriving in the Great Hall, you know?

Coming to a stop before Professor Myers, Derf cleared his throat and offer the envelope with the letter from Daisy's aunt inside. "Sorry, professor, I know we aren't supposed to come up here just yet but um, we, um, have a bit of a situation, professor," he informed the man, trying not to shift the balance between his feet too much - but he was anxious so there was a little bit of wiggling going on. He waited a moment for the Herbology professor to read the cruelly brief contents before speaking again. "Daisy...could she, maybe, be escorted to the common room early?"

The feast just really...did not seem the place for her right now. And her tears were proof of that. Yes, her housemates were here for her - the proof of that was visible in the cete of badgers that was currently surrounding her - but she was also in shock and the electrifying buzz that the start of term feasts always provided could be suffocating in that state.

Ignatius Noble arrived shortly after her and Kaysha in black robes with white assessories. As he greeted her Laurel looked up and smiled "Good evening Ignatius, have you been somewhere warm this summer?" The slight tan to his facial features at least evidenced of that unless he had been to a muggle solarium but she highly doubted that.

She saw how Ignatius greeted Kaysha before he dissapeared behind an issue of the Manchester Evening News. Laurel hoped that there other colleagues would greet her bestie with more warmth.



Laurel was at her best debating whether to get herself some water or pumpkin juice to sooth her parched throat when Regina entered the Great Hall and some minutes later took her throne seat beside her. Turning her gaze to the headmistress she greeted softly. "Good evening Regina, actually there was something i was meaning to tell you about. Many of my predictions of late have had the lakes merpeople in them. I fear that the merpeople will be making quite a stir this term."



It really hurt heart to see how Kay kept her eyes down and just her general unKay posture made Laurel wish a thousand times that she sat next to her best friend and not at the opposite side of the table. Smiling encouraginly, she shook her head past Regina. "Kay, don’t think about it. Your here at the feast and that's what matters." Seriously Laurel had already forgiven her for not waiting for her. "We can eat breakfast together tomorrow and talk?" Since after the feast she'd have her hands full with the snakes.



[font="DejaVu Sans"]Tristan’s late arrival to the feasts now felt like a routine to Laurel. She assumed some creatures had needed some extra care and attention from him. As he sat down a few seats from her she flashed him a smile "Good evening Tristan! Did you have a nice vacation?" Their earlier staff meetings hadn't allowed much time for small talk. [/spoiler]



Gaston was her next colleague to step up on the dais and take his seat at the table. Hearing her name Laurel turned her head to him and smiled "Evening Gaston! I had a lovely summer. I spent a few weeks in sunny Mallorca and then I've visited with family and friends. How was your summer?" She almost put Aaron in there but they weren’t really on a boyfriend, girlfriend level yet.



Laurel was watching the sorting with keen interest as a few girl's and a boy was sorted into Slytherin by the hat. She almost fell out of her seat in surprise when Charles addressed her. She hadn’t seen him come up on the dais. Doing her best to smooth over her surprise she plastered on a beam as she righted herself in her seat. "Hello Charles!" bowing her head slightly in appreciation she responded. "Thank you, you don’t look too bad yourself! No need to apologize, I understood what you meant."



Paul slipped into his seat on the other end of the table. Laurel hadn’t really seen him come in before she heard his voice. Looking past Regina at Paul in his velvel maroon robes Laurel beamed over. "It's lovely to see you too Paul! Those robes are very beautiful and eye-catching!" She had known that he was leaving for a while but Laurel though hoped dearly that he changed his mind before the year was over. It’d be weird without Paul at the school.

She had caught the Muggle Studies professor's smile before she had taken her seat. In all honesty, Regina had quite a bit of respect for the woman wanting to return after everything. Had it been her those godforsaken twins targeted, she would have taken an early retirement. Kudos.

As Tristian made his way to the table, the woman gave him a nod of acknowledgment. As for Gaston's appearance, she honestly was a bit surprised by him addressing her by her first name but nonetheless smiled at him. "Good evening, Gaston."

Her eyes did catch Haraldur, though he seemed to have ... forgotten? ... to continue moving to his seat. She was about to give him a look to signal that she wanted to get the show on the road, so to speak, and get food on the table; however, her attention had been grasped.

First there was the History of Magic. "Hello, Charles. I'm doing quite well tonight. Yourself?"

Next she gave Paul a casual wave. No words were said though.

Then Laurel's response made her brow raise -- not quite sure if the woman beside her was being serious or not. Merpeople stirring up the term? The headmistress honestly doubted it. During the time she had been headmistress of the school, they had co-existed well and mostly minded their own business. Regardless, she responded with "Duly noted" and left it at that.

Finally, the owl that had flown into the hall was noticed ... and she did catch glimpse of the Hufflepuff table commotion ... and Prefect Derfael Ashburry-Hawthorne was coming up to their table.

Would she ever get the opportunity to give her speech?

With the Herbology professor only being a couple chairs away from her, the boy's words were heard clearly. Her gaze shifted to Paul, over to the Hufflepuff table, and then back to Derfael. She didn't need all the details, not at this very moment at least. "Please feel free to escort her to the common room if a more appropriate environment is needed right now. I can ask one of the elves to send food up, if needed." Her head then turned to Paul. Without saying anything, her look was enough to let him know that he, being Head of House and everything, was excused.

On that note, the headmistress rose from her chair. The feast, though she had very little to announce this term, needed to carry on. After all, everyone needed a good night's sleep considering there were classes to be had bright and early in the morning.

"Good evening, everyone! I would like to begin this term by welcoming those of you who have returned to us over the summer back to school, and for those of you who are brand new a warm welcome to Hogwarts," she said, smiling brightly, after reaching her podium and having everyone's attention. "There are just a few things I would like to mention before we dive into a spectacular feast."

"First of all, this term we have no new staff." As far as the American knew, it had been a while since that last happened. "I can say with confidence that we all are ready for another exciting year of learning."

"Quidditch tryouts will be happening soon. If you are interested, please take note of the tryout session scheduled as posted in your House common room. If you have any questions, please ask Professor Baldvinson or your House captain.

"As you all know, the first day of classes is tomorrow. So make sure that you do not stay up too late tonight. Not being prompt to and present, physically and mentally, in your classes will not be tolerated."

Of course, she paused for dramatic effect, allowing that particular note to echo throughout the hall. Her face shown the utmost seriousness at this point.

It didn't take long, though, for the smile to return to her face. "But, first, enjoy the feast." With a wave of her hand, goblets and plates full of drink and food filled the table. Satisfied, Regina made her way back to her seat.

Kalen was late, he was oh so very late and at this point he was almost considering skipping the feast, but he felt like he could endure a glare from Regina instead of being summoned to her office. So the Astronomy professor snuck into the great hall and as Regina was making her speech, he inconspicuously crept toward the Dais..

Once the food appeared he quickly slid into his seat and smiled over at Tris. He would apologize later to everyone for being late, but he had a last minute check up at St.Mungos and it had run late. Due to his brother and Piper being overprotective.

He was fine, they knew he was fine, and though his voice wasn’t fully back to normal, he had shown no other bad signs of the curse that had been put on him. But they thought something might act up again due to the school year starting up, so they had dragged him back to the hospital to make sure..

*sigh*

He took his tea cup out of his pocket and looked around. He hoped he hadn’t missed too much.

The barest of smiles curled on Noble's lips as he read through the report, and he allowed himself a discrete fist pump and murmured "Get in there lads!". A 3-0 win was a triumph indeed, although he was sorely disappointed to have missed being there in person. If they reached the third round proper, he planned to be pitch-side. For now though, he moved to the other major results, and it was as he was turning the page that the Headmistress caught his eye. Noble nodded, lowering his paper slightly as a matter of courtesy. "Likewise, Regina." And Laurel had asked him a question, hadn't she? "Depends on your definition of warm," he responded with a grunt. As for the other Professor present: Noble ignored Kay's attempts to catch his eye after Hawthorne had passed, instead quickly reverting his gaze to the paper.

...only to be disturbed a few minutes later by the Charms Professor. "And to you, Gaston. How's the family doing?" He didn't really care all that much for the answer, but small talk seemed to be a requisite of feasts. It also helped that he found Gaston far less irritable than most of the other staff members down that end of the table.

And it seemed Curtains hadn't got the hint with the newspaper either. With a bit of a huff, he started to fold it closed. How in a rat's fart was he meant to know where Hirsch was? "Not the foggiest," he replied, a bitter tone in his voice. He didn't particularly care, either. He still had opinions on Hirsch's capabilities as a DADA professor.

His mood soured, it was probably a good job Noble couldn't read Haruldur's mind right about now. Any of those names was risking a flared temper. As was, Noble just gave a wry chuckle. "You're early," he replied by way of greeting, well aware of the flying instructor's reputation for tardiness by now. A smirk curled on his lips. "Wasn't expecting you for at least another half hour. Don't tell me all the kiddos made it across in one dry piece?" How disappointing. He wouldn't have minded at all if one of them had given the Icelandic man a hard time...just some fuel to add to the light jibing that would inevitably happen over the coming term. "Always ready, I am, Haruldur. You'd be better asking the students if they're ready for me." Going by last year's reactions, he doubted it. "You?"

He turned slightly in his seat, now catching Paul in the corner of his eye. Noble let out a low wolf whistle as he walked past, the velvet not to his taste, but certainly quite the statement. Someone was dressed to impress at his last opening feast. "Same to you, old man," Noble replied, leaning back in his chair to not have to talk through Kaysha. He definitely wouldn't mind engaging the Herbology professor in conversation; he'd been inspired by his trip to Paul's vineyards, and had a couple of ideas he wanted to follow up on. First though, more important business. "You're looking dressed for a night on the town. Pub later?" he asked, making it known his invitation included the groundskeeper too. After Paul had got the Badgers settled, of course.

Regina's request in her speech to not stay up...er, out...too late didn't apply to staff, right?

Gaston smiled as Harladur appeared. "Good evening, Haraldur," he replied. "I did, thanks for asking. It was nice to have some time to relax with my family. How was yours?"

Charles arrived moments later, and Gaston couldn't help but notice the History of Magic teacher had greeted everyone at the table except him. Weird... had he done something to make him angry? He thought, but nothing came to mind. "Hello, Charles," he said, prompting him for a greeting.

Blink, blink. Who was this guy and what had he done with the real Paul Myers? He looked so... normal, but before Gaston had much time to think about it, Kalen appeared. His heart dropped as the memories of Dufftown came rushing back, and he shook his head to make the bad thoughts die. After all, this was supposed to be a happy occasion, and he didn't want to spoil anyone's fun.
"Hello, Paul, Kalen," he greeted. "How are you two?"

Gaston's dark head whipped around at the sound of Laurel's voice; her words got a small smile from him. "That sounds like fun," he replied. "My summer was pretty uneventful by comparison." And uneventful was just the way he liked it... especially after the events of last term! "Aside from visiting Rose's family in London, I spent most of the summer home." Speaking of which...

He glanced down the table as Ignatius spoke. The question was slightly unexpected. "They're quite well, thank you for asking," he said. "Desiree is getting so big! I think she'll be talking soon..." He was rambling, wasn't he? Sorry... fatherly pride did that to him. He tried to change the subject. "How is your daughter?"

He turned his attention to the sorting ceremony, applauding politely for the new students, and... What, what was happening at the Hufflepuff table?! He saw the owl drop off a letter; then Daisy was crying, and the next thing he knew, Derfael was here. He was too far away to hear what was said to Paul, but he knew it must be bad news. It was taking every bit of restraint he had not to rush to the girl's side, but somehow he felt his presence wasn't wanted. All he could do was look on with concern as he half-listened to Hawthorne's speech.