How I Feel (OPEN)

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The village of Hogsmeade was about as picturesque and as quintessentially British as anyplace Clarence had ever seen, though the postcard-perfect appearance and charm of the location wasn’t what had drawn him there. Instead, it had been the village’s proximity to Hogwarts that had solidified it as the right choice of location for him to spend part of the summer before starting work at Hogwarts.

With about a month to go before the start of the school year, Clarence was primarily concerned with lesson planning for the term to come, though the news of Harry Potter’s presumed death had not gone unnoticed by him. Memories that he had tried to suppress of his sister’s disappearance and murder returned to his mind in a way that they hadn’t for some time. That same anger flooded back, and Clarence wondered how betrayed the man’s family must have felt because of the Ministry of Magic’s decision to call off any official searches. Wasn’t the Minister of Magic his own sister-in-law?

As he walked down the main street of the village, Clarence had to question if he had made the right decision to come to Hogwarts. Then again, close to eighty years of life had shown him that these things had happened and would happen again for as long as they were tolerated, and that was just the portion of history during which he had lived. Although one of his concerns had been how much the Hogwarts students would understand about Native American Magic, Clarence had no more doubts that they would understand what had shaped their ways of knowing.

His own traumas—the personal ones—were something about which Clarence rarely spoke. He was not silent, but there were some things that he simply did not share. He nearly passed by the Three Broomsticks and then opted to enter it instead, remembering that his other options were limited.

Choosing to sit away from the bar, Clarence found himself a table not far from where he had entered. He sat down and looked around, watching the others in the pub.

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It was an experience for sure, picking up her whole life and everything she had known to move - at least for the year - over to England. Not to mention bringing her siblings over to be able to continue their education, ontop of that - Cassie would be teaching at Hogwarts this coming year. So it seemed logical to go out and explore the surrounding area - she had heard a lot about the small village of Hogsmeade and after finally settling in a bit she decided to take a chance and explore - her siblings certainly were eager to do so, so after arranging a time to meet up with them the siblings split up for awhile, leaving Cassie on her own to wander around. 

She like it seemed everyone else, had things on her mind. Worries about if it would indeed be safe here, wondering on how she'd do at teaching in a whole new school. She was still a fairly new professor at Ilvermorny even, and now here she was in a different country. It was odd to say the least, how much her life had changed since she herself had Graduated. Finding herself raising her siblings had been what she had thought would be the hardest part.

With a small sigh she glanced around before her eyes landed on the place called the Three Broomsticks, she had heard a few things about it and while she wasn't particularly big on drinking. It might be nice to sit and relax - perhaps she'd have at least one drink to help clear her mind. With that decided she stepped inside, shaking her head before adjusting her glasses and looking around. She was about to head over and get herself a drink, when her eyes landed on a figure sitting at a table - the figure though was a familiar one. Her smile quickly grew as she approached, while it was amazing to see a familiar person from home - it was comforting in particular with who it was. 

"I wasn't aware this was your sort of place Clarence." she spoke carefully - still even after being a Professor herself she found it odd to call him by his first name, as she approached a small smile formed on her face as she approached her former professor - and co-worker. "Did you end up transfering as well?" she actually wasn't aware on who else had been arranged to transfer to Hogwarts - she did know there were at least a few other Professors from Ilvermorny who had been asked though.

[@clarence]

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Clarence hadn’t been seated for very long before he heard footsteps coming in his direction from the door that he had previously entered. He turned his head to look and, to his surprise, he saw that it was one of his own Ilvermorny colleagues who had come into the pub. Cassiopeia Weatherly was, in Clarence’s mind, still barely old enough to be graduated from Ilvermorny and out of his classroom. Yet—while she was quite young—she taught Home Economics and Life Skills and was, from what he knew, good at the job.

The first words out of Cassiopeia’s mouth were about how she hadn’t been aware that this was “[his] sort of place,” and Clarence was almost tempted to laugh. Being that the Three Broomsticks was a pub, it wasn’t his sort of place, though it was one of the few places where he could get food or drink without going to the grocer.

“It’s not my sort of place, no,” he granted her, but where in Britain was?

“Did you end up transferring as well?” Cassiopeia asked him.

“I did,” Clarence nodded. It wasn’t a decision that he had made lightly, but he had decided that transferring to Hogwarts was the best option he had. He knew that the offer to teach at Hogwarts had been extended to a number of the faculty members at Ilvermorny, and he was glad to see that Cassiopeia had taken it up.

He motioned for Cassiopeia to sit. “And I imagine your siblings have joined you, Cassiopeia?” he asked, guessing that she wouldn’t have left them behind in America.

@cassiopeia

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Cassie was a little surprised to see a familiar face at all, well - other than her siblings at least. It seemed lately that her siblings were the only ones who she knew - familiar faces among a whole lot of a new ones she had been meeting. But here she was, face to face with not only a co-worker from Ilvermorny, but also one of her former professors. One whom she had always been rather fond of while at school and despite a few diferences in their personal beliefs, she also had gotten along fairly well with him even after graduating and taking on a teaching job of her own - despite what some students and even professors had said about her subject of choice, Cassie always did her best to teach and make the subject fun for those who came into her classes. While Home Ec and Life Skills wasn't one of the more 'magical' classes, it had its own place that would prove to help in students lives even after graduating. 

She had more than once defended her choice in teaching position. Still she silently shook her head, eager to catch up with Clarence. The familiarity was instantly some what of a comfort on the blonde as she gave a small chuckle, "Yeah - honestly it's not my sort either, at least not without my more.. interesting friends." she gave a small roll of her eyes, pretty sure that he'd have remembered a few of those friends from back at Ilvermorny when she attended. Cassie had always been a more calmer girl compared to a few of her friends she chose to hang around. She understood that if he chose to transfer it hadn't been made lightly, she understood that well as her own hadn't been lightly made.

When he offered for her to sit, she gladly joined him, offering a slight smile - Very few people could call her Cassiopeia these days, but Clarence seemed to be one of those few who could say it and not make her think of her parents, "Of course - I'll admit, they were a huge part of why I decided to transfer as well, I couldn't let them just come over by themselves and they insisted I ask to be transfered - so.." she gave a small laugh, shaking her head. 

@clarence

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“Yeah,” Cassiopeia agreed with him, admitting that it wasn’t her sort of place, either, at least not without the presence of her more “interesting” friends—a word that had been her choice rather than his. Her school friends probably hadn’t been the best influences on her, as Clarence recalled, though Cassiopeia had turned out just fine in spite of them.

The young woman sat down at his offer and proceeded to explain that her siblings had been a large part of her decision to transfer with them. “I couldn't let them just come over by themselves and they insisted I ask to be transferred—so,” she told him while laughing.

It was valid. If he were about fifty years younger and had siblings who were still of school age, Clarence imagined that he probably would have had the same inclination. He had come primarily because he knew that many of the students who took his course did so because they found value in it—if not a better sense of their own identities, for some—and it was a subject that they weren’t going to find at Hogwarts otherwise.

He nodded in response to what Cassiopeia had said. “Are you looking forward to it, at least?” he tried to gauge. She didn’t sound to be too upset by her siblings’ coercion, though maybe she had simply gotten used to the idea.

@cassiopeia

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Although it had been awhile, she still remembered what it had been like to be a student - she remembered a few people, her parents included - having spoken about her 'friends' and how they weren't good influences. It had taken losing her parents before she fully understood what her teachers and parents had been talking about, she only kept contact these days with just two of those friends - they while they had their differences, still spoke to her and sometimes - when she found time for herself, they did hang out in this kind of place. She had changed a lot since her school days, while still remaining who she was - she was different but it was a good kind of different she supposed.

She knew this was yet another change in her life, but perhaps this would also be a good kind of thing. There had been no question about her transferring along with her siblings after all. At his question on if she was looking forward to it she gave a small shrug, a hint of a smile still on her face, "In a way - of course, but on the other hand its a little overwhelming as well - I'm sure you know what I mean." she gave a pause before continuing, "The subjects we teach, they don't have those at Hogwarts - and its not just going to be the students we know who will be taking them. Other than that, just being in this country is a slight adjustment to say the least."

@clarence

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Cassiopeia said that she was looking forward to teaching at Hogwarts “in a way,” though she couldn’t deny that the process was “overwhelming,” something that she guessed was also true for Clarence. She seemed nervous to him, though that was only to be expected.

It was, he agreed, a little bit overwhelming at times. The first few weeks of the new school year would probably be the worst of it, he assumed, as far as teaching went.

“The subjects we teach, they don't have those at Hogwarts,” Cassiopeia continued, and it was almost as though she had been reading his mind, Clarence thought. “And it’s not just going to be the students we know who will be taking them.”

So far, that had been Clarence’s major challenge. Adjusting lesson plans to account for the fact that some of his students might not have taken his subject before had been difficult—and likely would continue to be until the Hogwarts students got a feel for the way that he did things. That wasn’t to mention the differences in educational systems as a whole or the cultural differences at various levels.

“Other than that, just being in this country is a slight adjustment,” Cassiopeia stated, “to say the least.”

It was, perhaps, an understatement, Clarence thought to himself. He nodded at what his colleague had had to say and thought. “It won’t be easy,” he told her, a fact rather than a warning. “But it’s necessary, Cassiopeia.” It wasn’t easy; maybe it wouldn’t always be enjoyable, but it was necessary. Hopefully, too, the experience would be worth it. “Remember,” he considered with a smile upon his face, “we aren’t the only ones who have to make this transition. Our students do, too.”

Just as they had to adjust to their new surroundings, so, too, did all of the students who had already made or would be making their way across the Atlantic Ocean to Hogwarts. “It’s going to be just fine,” Clarence reassured Cassiopeia. “Is there anything I can help you with?”

@cassiopeia

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There was a lot about the move here that Cassie was nervous about, more than anything else though was the adjustment, not just for herself - although that was becoming something that she knew she should focus on - she was concerned for the adjustment in her siblings. And for her students. This was a big thing for all of them really, for students and Professors like themselves alike, for all of them this was something new and big - for those at Hogwarts even, having new Professors and new students around - it was bound to be a struggle for all of them to adjust for the first few weeks at the very least.

It was comforting to be able to speak to someone else who understood, not to mention she had always had a soft spot for the other Professor even when she herself had been a student at Ilvermorny. It was still a little odd that now she was also a Professor along side of him. "It is." she confirmed along with his words, it was a necessary move for them, they didn't really have any other options. "I know, I am also a little concerned about our students as well - if this is a struggle even for us to adjust, I wonder how they are fairing now let alone when the school year begins." a small frown crossed her face, she had since she began teaching had a spot for her students - although she was one of the younger professors she knew she had to prove herself. Not to mention show she wouldnt be walked over - her own first year Teaching at Ilvermorny had been a huge challenge between finding that space of being someone her students could approach yet also not be walked on.

But even now, after teaching for awhile in her life - it was nice to know she had support if she needed it and she smiled at Clarence's question, "I'm not sure, but for now perhaps just the company is enough of a help, we're kind of a team in this - and its nice to know its not just me."

@clarence

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Cassiopeia expressed her concerns for their students, as well; if it was hard on them, as professors, she voiced, she wondered how they were doing. Some, Clarence hazarded a guess, had probably come without their parents, though he hoped that most who fell under that category wouldn’t be arriving for another week or so. Others probably had been turning the situation into an extended vacation, if they could afford it. Clarence couldn’t say anything for certain about the current situations of most of the students, though. He knew MACUSA was helping out where it could, but there was really only so much that the government could—or, rather, was willing to—do, in actuality, to assist.

“Of course,” Clarence spoke. He didn’t think that it was odd that Cassiopeia was concerned about the students and didn’t want her to feel as though her reaction was too much. “It’s understandable, Cassiopeia,” he said. Their students spent more time at school and around them than they did at home with their own families and communities. They had to—occasionally—step outside of the confines of their job descriptions to be the support system that their students didn’t always have available to them.

Even under ordinary circumstances, some of their students returned to lives their were less than ideal when they were not at school. The added changes must have been exceptionally hard on those students. “They’re leaving behind almost everything they know,” which wasn’t untrue of him and Cassiopeia, either.

When he asked if she needed help with anything, Cassiopeia responded to him by saying that she didn’t know but that she appreciated his company. “We're kind of a team in this,” she told him, “and it’s nice to know it’s not just me.”

“It’s not,” Clarence promised. He had decades more experience in teaching than she, though—if anyone had told him that Ilvermorny would be so horribly damaged, that they would have to go to Hogwarts just to maintain some sense of their lives as they knew them. “Do you want anything to drink?”

@cassiopeia