Coincidental Colleagues #1 PV - Eliseo Céspedes Finished

Surviving the return to Hogwarts seemed like a victory to Eliseo. The had been a seemingly endless barrage of questions from the curious Zoë and he found himself on the unintentional defensive. He deftly avoided many direct answers and kept his replies a bit vague. On the contrary, Zoë seemed ready to illuminate every facet of her life in vivid detail. It was an endearing trait. Eliseo had always had some difficulty talking with others but loved the chance to listen. And turning her questions back on her seemed like a highly useful tactic in avoiding the pressure to answer. But quietly listening to the woman kept the walk enjoyable and relaxing.

Finally moving through the doors of the school, Eliseo was reminded that the woman had no idea they were coworkers. All it would take was a single passing student to blow his cover but the halls seemed relatively quiet for the time being. “You had my interest at perfect meals. Grading on the other hand, I don’t envy your patience for that skill,” Eliseo laughed softly as he followed the woman towards the Great Hall. A place that he had spent a good amount of time.

You must act like it is your first time seeing it , he reminded himself as Zoë excitedly twirled about presenting the admittedly beautiful Great Hall. “It truly is magnificent,” Eliseo said, somewhat dramatically turning his head up to peer at the ever curious ceiling. Returning his gaze to the woman, he could almost see the nostalgia spelled across her enchanting face. Her bright eyes shone with memories that Eliseo could only wonder about. Eliseo watched the woman with a smile as she talked about her first memories in that very room.

Eliseo had yet to see one of the famed Hogwarts sorting ceremonies but the mere thought of a sentient Hat determining the students’ future house had always been an entertaining notion. He listened with a wide smile as the woman launched from her story to a very strong description of the Sorting Ceremony. Hearing her speak about it with such passion only made him want to witness the event more. He imagined students being started by the Hat or overjoyed by the selections. Hogwarts had seemed an impressively welcoming place and it did not surprise him that Zoë’s sorting experience seemed so fond in her mind. Although, it hadn’t slipped past his ears that the woman only had her father as family. He was sure there was more to that story but doubted this was the best time to ask and he was fully enjoying the woman’s presentation on the finer points of the sorting ceremony.

Eliseo couldn’t help but laugh when the woman finally finished her long description of everything from the ceremony to the houses. But her enthusiasm was intoxicating and he found himself fully enjoying his tour. “My only question would be to ask if you are sure you have not given a tour before? You seem far too good at this to be new at it. But I think, had I been at this hat ceremony, I too would have been in Slytherin. I live for my resourcefulness. Few situations I can’t figure out a clever way to come out on top,” he said with a sudden smirk.

“It is funny though. Your first moments here sound far different than my own first evening at school. Not sure if I mentioned, but I went to Castelobruxo. It is a beautiful place school in the Amazon, my second home to be sure. But that first night, I don’t think many of us first years cared much for our opening ceremony or whatever the professors were telling us about our futures. No, they made the mistake of mentioning the Caipora that guard the school,” Eliseo said with a slow nod. He almost left it there but he knew he should really try to reveal more than vague references.

“The Caipora are little spirit beings that watch over the school and protect the grounds and surrounding forest,” Eliseo explained with a nod to make sure she was following. “But you tell a bunch of kids that there are furry, highly mischievous, spirit beings out in the surrounding forest and that is all we want to hear about. A bunch of us first years just spent the night coming up with plans to track one down to befriend. We even thought we might be able to sneak it into the school so it could help us with mischief. Of course, some students thought it was creepy that there were little beings out there always watching...so we also tried to scare them by making up stories of Caipora who had abducted students to eat,” Eliseo said unable to stop a sudden chuckle at the memory. He could vividly remember the horrified look on one young witch’s face.

Turning back to Eliseo, he gave a warm smile. “I haven’t thought of that day in a long time. Seems like a life ago. Someday I will go back to visit I am sure. After I am finished judging how you Europeans do things over here,” he smirked. “But I will owe you a tour of Castelobruxo if fate finds us both there some day.” He doubted he would be back in Brazil for a long time but fond memories of those early years began to fill his mind.

Staring wide-eyed at Eliseo, Zoë couldn’t help but to let out a playful laugh as Eliseo inquired about this being the first tour she had given. She knew she had a knack for bringing mundane things to life with her words and excitement but Hogwarts had always been a home to her and no matter how many times she walked its dated stairwells or entered the echoing Great Hall she always felt like it was the first time.

Eliseo had earned points from her for picking Slytherin but she didn’t know him well enough to know if he was picking it because of her or because he truly was a snake at heart but she assumed over time it would become more apparent. The man effortlessly took hold of the conversation as he gave some more insight into his past as he revealed he went to Castelobruxo for school.

Zoë had obviously heard of the school before but had never met anyone from there so she knew she would have to poke Eliseo more on it but before she could, he quickly piqued her interest as he described Caiporas and their role at his school. It was hard to picture this stoic man as a child hellbent on mischief and pranking but picturing it in her head was enough to make her laughing more pronounced as they bounced off the echoing walls of the Hall.

“I will admit, I didn’t peg you as someone who was once a child,” Zoë chided as she cocked her head playfully. “You, the man embarrassed from a little candy mess? A pranking mastermind? Color me surprised Mr. Céspedes…” She teased as she twirled once more in the aisle.

“Did you in fact ever catch one of these Caiporas or was it all hearsay? We don’t have anything quite so spirited here although we do have a handful of ghosts, house elves, a giant squid supposedly, and quite a bit more in the Forbidden Forest. Because what is a school if it doesn’t have something around every corner trying to kill or scare you.” Zoë laughed feeling happier than she had in weeks.

Turning to face the large table at the back, Zoë took a few steps towards it lost in thought as she stared at all the chairs. “I guess come the next big feast I’ll be sitting somewhere up there. It will be really weird to watch the ceremonies and speeches from a new perspective but also a great honor to know I’ve come so far."

“What was the food like at Castelobruxo? Was it as magical as I described meals here? Did food just magically appear on the tables with no end in sight? Was the food more native based or were their dishes from all over?” She inquired turning back around to face him as he subtly offered to show her around sometime.

“I would love to see it so long as you don’t get sick of me before then. Shall we venture to the next locale on our great journey?”

Being an individual who tended to speak in vague terms or calculated claims, it was somewhat strange for Eliseo to talk so plainly about his past. Not that he had anything to hide, but it was still somewhat out of character for him. He felt an innate trust with the woman, however, and her passion for recounting her own experienced had sparked similar memories of his own. Similar but yet still distant and different. He had no doubts that there were similarities to their academic journeys but he also was sure that there were many differences in how they were taught and the experiences of their respective schools. The prestige of Hogwarts was well known and it still fascinated Eliseo to hear such recountings from one who not only studied there but was quite clearly a master at their topic. One did not become a professor at Hogwarts without considerable ability.

Eliseo had to laugh at the woman’s playful barbs and slightly nodded. “It does seem quite like a lifetime ago,” he admitted. “I do not know when I became more reserved. Perhaps it is all those years I spent on my own wandering and exploring. I, perhaps, spend too much time in here,” he smiled pointing to his head. He could be mischievous still and had his moments of absurdity, but he was not blind to the stark change in his personality once entering adulthood.

Shaking his head, Eliseo smiled. “I swear I was close many times. I could almost feel the success, but they proved to be more skilled in evasion than I was in catching things,” Eliseo chuckled. “If they don’t want to be caught, I am not sure they would be.” Eliseo had heard quite a bit about the house elves and the somewhat barbaric institution of slavery with the elves but thought it was likely not the best instance to begin discussing the curious uses of the elves. But what interested him more was her mention of the forbidden forest. His job included the patrol and maintenance of the legendary forest but he still had yet to explore anything but the edge of the looming trees.

“I love the forest. Truly I am very interested in this school’s Forbidden Forest. The mysteries and legends spread far. And a bit of danger only makes things fun,” he said with a slight wink. He would undoubtedly find time to truly explore it but he though waiting until spring would be best.

“It shows how far you have come, to sit up there,” Eliseo said with a nod. “It is no small feat to become a professor here. You should be proud. I am sure you will get use to it in no time,” he said watching the woman carefully. He couldn’t imagine how odd that would be to come back to one’s school as a professor, building on the already rich memories she had.

“Ugh the food… was heavenly! I do not know how you British survive with such bland food. There is no spice! The food in my home and Castelobruxo was so rich and teeming with flavor. There were foods from all over but mostly the familiar dishes of Latin and South America. I miss that most of all! Food is life in our culture but hopefully I will be able to continue rustling up some spice in these islands,” he said with a smirk. He had, thus far, found the more traditional European cuisine rather bland but knew the French were well renowned for their cooking. “I will say, however, that you Europeans do know how to make a good dessert,” he said with a suddenly hungry nod.

Eliseo smiled again at the woman as she dismissed herself. He could not imagine growing tired of her warm and welcoming energy. And her beauty was truly enchanting so her continued dismissal seemed odd to him. “I promise you, I will not grow sick of you,” he said softly before nodding in agreement to continue the tour. “Lead the way, cariño.”