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XXXXX𝕺n July 1st of 2017, Helen Aletheia Doukas graduated from Durmstrang Institute, free at last.
While it is said that school revolves around studying, for Helen that was but a side factor to what was actually going on in her life. A distraction, one might say, an unconscious way to channel her emotions into furious scribbles of notes. Her grades? Standard, easily overlooked. To her, graduation was far more than a mere ceremony to look back at one's academic achievements. It was the day that she could finally escape from the teenage drama that had enveloped her soul like a dark cloud of heartbreak. For she had been forsaken by those who she thought had loved her and had loved in return, and the wound was still fresh.
The years after graduation had been a blur. Helen may have had a place to live, but there was no place she called home, for she was free at last and would not return to the shackles of desolation. No, she travelled all over the world with the money she had taken inherited from her elders and learned to live at last. That she did not need others to be someone. Detachment from what had once been her lifeline. Helen had turned to a new chapter, and over time that changed her as a person as well.
Looking back at the haze that had taken up seven years of her life, the part-veela could not help but smile reminiscently. She did not want to go back now that her life was stable, but those were undoubtedly the best years of her life. So many memorable moments and experiences that would always remain cherished and unforgettable. Those were her years of growth, of self-discovery, in which she had learned more about the world than her parents could ever have taught her.
However, once upon a dream seven years later, Helen decided that she was ready to move on to a new chapter once more. Her spirit had finally found its place among the other mortals on planet earth, and now that she had embodied her truest essence, she knew what she wanted to do with her life.
Not the specifics, not yet at least. But the she knew she wanted stability, a real job and a place to call home. Home. It had been a long time since she had vividly thought of that very word, the concept ringing just right. The end of an intermezzo and the beginning of something new, only just out of reach. Helen raised the bar, and applied to open positions that she deemed worthy of her time. Not the other way around. She was the driver of her own car, she chose which route to take next.
Helen's thoughts roamed back to the days of her schooling often, remembering her days at Hogwarts and then also Durmstrang. She didn't miss those days, but she did ponder over them often. What were her morals then? Every aspect of her life seemed to have changed, and yet only ~ten years had passed from her sixteenth birthday. What if she ever went back? Would she? It was a thought she had come to dread, both due to her lineage and her interactions with others. Her peers had always been both enticed and weary of her, never coming too close, but watching intently from afar. Just like her elders, thinking that they could use her for their own good.
All of this to say that Helen had never even considered returning to the school. But the fates had chosen a different path for her, it seemed. In late October, a position for Hogwarts staff opened up. Librarian. The paragraph in the Daily Prophet promoting it stood out from any other, drawing her attention. What if?, she mused. It was a stable job, worthy of a home, and offered good pay. Books had always been closely tied to Helen's upbringing, both prior and subsequent to her graduation. Finally, the young woman chose to apply for the job. At worst, she would be turned down. At best, she would be able to start a new chapter at last.
On November 8th, Helen stood at the doors of her new home, bags in hand, taking one last deep breath before closing the double doors behind her and not turning back. It had been more than eleven years since she had last breathed in the Scottish air and seen the castle walls slowly come into view. Memories lurked at every corner as she walked through the halls, abstract voices playing like a broken tape-recorder in her mind, of instances that one would think would've been buried at the back of her mind forever. A lot seemed to have changed in her absence, especially as Helen had only attended Hogwarts for her first three years of schooling before transferring to Durmstrang. But many memories still lingered, threatening to swallow her whole.
But she would not allow it.
She would not drown again. The abyss was not meant for her, it was the home of others but not her. After all, while the ghosts of Hogwarts had never left, its memories still plaguing her dreams at times, it was still one of the places in which she had felt the most at home. There was something about it that served as magnet too strong to ignore, homeliness and unfettered potential. When stepping into the Great Hall on her first day back once again, Helen could not help feeling oh so very at home. Where there were ups, there were downs, but overall Helen couldn't help but feel excited at this new foundation that she had built for herself and rightfully earned.
One of the first things that the siren had wanted to do to settle into her new home was leave a positive first impression upon the other staff members and her colleagues. If there was one lesson that stuck from high school, she needed to make her mark before others made one of her based off of false rumors and assumptions. This was not like high school. The gossip may have had truth in it then, but not anymore. Helen Aletheia Doukas was a new person, and she would make sure that no one confused her for something that she was not. Whether they "liked" her was not even her foremost intent. No, she merely wanted them to see her as who she really was. Because otherwise, she knew that it would break her.
And so, with that priority constantly on her mind when passing by her co-workers, she took the initiative to talk to most of the professors and assistants. When @Zoë Fresnel stepped down from her position as the beloved Charms professor, Helen took it upon herself to give her new colleague a warm welcome, something she knew she would cherish if it were her. As a child, the part-veela had never been fully accepted as she was, and the one time she thought she had been, her heart shattered into a million fragments of pain and longing a year later. A small act can have great consequence.
And maybe, just maybe, a long-lasting friendship could bloom as well.
The elected applicant was named Katherine Townsend. On the day of her arrival, one day before the Χριστουγεννιάτικες διακοπές "Christougenniátikes diakopés" (Greek for Christmas break/holidays) would commence, Helen could be found placing an envelope on Katherine's desk just before her arrival, unnoticed by any and all passersby. Its contents consisted of a letter that she had thoughtfully written, an invitation for tea the following day. What better way to get to know a new colleague than to invite them to an informal rendezvous? The letter went as follows:Dear Ms. Katherine,
My name is Helen, and I currently fill the post of Hogwarts Librarian. It is with a light heart that I send you this note, in hope of pleasantly surprising you with a warm welcome. Should you wish to join me for tea in the ballroom at 4pm tomorrow afternoon, I will ensure that tea is served and that snacks are plentiful. I would love to meet you and hope to see you then.
Your friend colleague,
~Helen A. Doukas
It had taken a while for the part-veela to choose the best location for her meeting with Katherine, should she attend. The library was quickly eliminated; it wasn't really made for eating and drinking and after all, there would undoubtedly be students in their midst. No, that wouldn't do. The grounds wouldn't have been a terrible idea had it not been raining and dreadfully cold. With those two options deemed unsuitable, Helen needed to look further. Finally, after ticking off each location she could think of, only one feasible option remained: the ballroom.
At first, it hadn't seemed like the most ideal location. The venue was large and far too spacious for her intent there. It would have to do, though, Helen concluded. But once she had made her way up to the fourth floor and pushed open its doors, that assumption proved to be incorrect. The space was perfect in its own way. The ballroom seemed much vaster than when she had last visited it as a young teenager, so much space that would usually be filled with people when visited. While mostly unused and empty throughout the school year, the room was stunning. Taking it all in, it was difficult to imagine how little anyone paid attention to its existence with the exception of the two seasonal balls each year. The tables and chairs were all pushed aside, sunlight filtering through the windows, particles of dust in the air visible as the room bathed in the sunlight that came after the pouring rain. Noiseless, calm, not a sound to be heard. No music, no drama, only the muffled sound of her footsteps entering the room. And yet, it was not an unsettling, eerie quiet, but peaceful.
Helen pushed one of the round tables to the middle of the room and summoned two chairs along with it, her voice echoing off the walls of the vast space. She then shook the dust off its white tablecloth and smoothed the creases out on the table top. It didn't take long before a teapot with boiling water had been placed in the center, two cups of tea and two dessert plates marking their two spots. Covering the rest of the table were a variety of teas and snacks, such as (but not limited to) Oolong or English Breakfast tea and Koulourakia, a Greek cookie recipe and one of the only things that her parents had taught her that had actually proved "useful". Macarons were also part of the display, typically served in France at tea time, which Helen had come to eat rather often when visiting the country.
Once everything had been prepared, as if on queue the clocktower chimed consecutively four times, marking the timestamp that their tea party would officially begin. Helen truly hoped that Katherine would fill the spot across from her. Not only would it be an utter embarrassment to have set up everything to no avail, but it would also genuinely sadden her to be dismissed when attempting a kind gesture. Placing the finishing touch of cotton napkins and cutlery, the scene had been set at last.
Now, all Helen needed to do was wait.
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