Should I stay or should I go now ¦ open to school staff

[Alora Veda Astor]

Alora still wasn't sure this was the place meant for her. The letter inviting her to the staff mixer had brought about mixed feelings; while it would probably be good to recon and see who she was up against, the whole idea of it made her nervous.

In the end she'd made herself go if nothing else just for an excuse to get dressed up. She was likely overdressed for a function room above the student bar in her black velvet mini dress and heels, but it gave her the confidence boost she needed to leave her residency room. After slicking on some red lipstick and curling a tendril of copper hair around her wand, she cautiously made her way to the Flobberworm and Lettuce.

It wasn't a surprise she was the first one there; it had barely hit eight pm. The letter that had included the details of the mixer sponsored by Happily Ever After Pizza™, said it was only to begin at eight pm. Alora had had plans to swoop in and out easy enough, but with how empty the place was, it seemed that would be nigh impossible.

Instead she stood around, shifting on her impossibly high heels, waiting by the refreshments table and wondering if she should have some of the questionable looking punch.


open to all school staff

[IVY BURKE]

Ivy's retreat from Hogwarts had been born of necessity - she had feared for her life after betraying her family. To this day, she still considered all of it worthwhile, even if it was painful. She knew she had saved countless young magical minds when she had reported Elaine's actions to Ana, and subsequently the ministry at large. Yet every day she had woken up in Brazil, she had wished to be back in the highlands of Scotland. And so, after a year, she had returned.

It came as no surprise that Hogwarts had vastly changed in her time away. The fire had destroyed the castle. As her dark gaze had swept over the grounds for the first time, the once painful burns along her back and arm twinged. As if they remembered exactly where they had been borne. Ivy would return to her duties as Magical Theory professor when autumn term started, but for now she was able to reacquaint herself with the British schooling system.

The letter had confused Ivy - there had never been even a suggestion of a staff mixer the last time she had been here. Then again, things had changed. Ivy thought that it would be nice to get to chat to some of her old colleagues, to pick their brains on what had happened in the year that had passed. It would be good to see Hazel in a non-formal setting as well. She still resented her betrayal. Ivy knew that she would sway her yet.

Pushing into the doors of the Flobberworm and Lettuce (a name that had made Ivy chuckle), Ivy spotted a woman who looked to be around her age in a short, tight dress and towering heels. Ivy had kept it simple in a pair of jeans and a tied off shirt. "Didn't realise we were dressing for an occasion," said Ivy, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly. "You're new," she added, a statement more than a question.

Alora Veda Astor and teachers

[Alora Veda Astor]

As she glanced around the sorry ass excuse for a mixer in the Flobberworm & Lettuce (a name that also made Alora laugh), she debated with herself if she should just pack it in and call it an evening. Her new room above Puddifoots Tea Room was cramped, but at least it was cosy enough and there she'd be alone- not exposed like she was right now.

Her eyes had been drifting towards the door, planning an exit when it flung open and someone way more underdressed- but way more intimidating was now looming towards her.

Alora barely had a second to process before she was directly addressed by this towering woman. Narrowing her eyes just slightly, she watched her counterpart. "Nothing wrong with putting some effort in, no?" raising an eyebrow she surveyed now the only other person in the room, and eventually nodded slowly. "Good observation. I am new, yes. My name's Alora Astor. I'll be teaching Herbology and covering classes elsewhere as needed." Pausing to breathe for a split second, her eyes flicked to Ivy's face finally and attempted a tight smile "And you are?"

IVY BURKE

[parvati patil macmillan]

August(?) 2027

A staff mixer for all the staff members at the three schools that made up Hogwarts had sounded like an excellent idea at the time. Now that the event had actually rolled around, however, Parvati was questioning why she had agreed to it. The event space just above the student pub at the Lufkin Institute for Further Education wasn't too dingy; it was brand new, but the atmosphere left something to be desired. There were a number of new staff members following the restructuring and rebuilding of the school, so it would at least be a good opportunity to interact with them outside of a "work" setting… provided that they showed up. The awful-looking catering from Jimbo Blishwick's pizza parlor made her wonder if they wouldn't have been better off having the mixer in the Great Hall with the usual Hogwarts fare, but it was a little too late for that.

Wearing the same robes she'd worn to work that day, a newer emerald-colored set that she had purchased since the fire, she saw that the only two of her colleagues who were already there were Ivy Burke and a new hire, Alora Astor, who had been brought on to teach Herbology at the McGonagall Academy for Gifted Illusionary Children. It was a bit awkward that it was only the three of them—and some various pizzas, one of them heart-shaped—after her run-in with Ivy's sister, Hazel, in India a few months prior. Touch wood, she had managed to avoid being alone in a room with Hazel since the start of the academic year at LIFE.

As she tried to put that conversation in Delhi behind her, Parvati addressed both of the younger women. "Alora. Ivy. It's lovely to see you both," she smiled. Being a member of the new Hogwarts High Council meant that she was one of the staff members responsible for overseeing all three schools and their staff. She just hadn't expected it to feel as though she were the one person keeping the mixer from being even more of a nightmare.

IVY BURKE
Alora Veda Astor