Meetin’ and Greetin’ and Eatin’ PV Professors Cl

Potions were quite useful things. Sebas could remember his father making potions for them all the time whenever someone was sick or needed a boost. It was his father's job to make potions for the family business. When the local potions master, the potion teacher, brought something over to Sebas, he gladly took it even if it was a bit forced. Compared to slow acting Muggle medicine these potions were essentially instant cures. The Spaniard groaned a bit at the taste but sat up and immediately had a much clearer head. He had not listened much to the chatter so much as he was trying to figure out where he had been and what was going on now.

"Thanks... Not Fain. I guess things have changed." He glanced between Anton and Maya for a moment. "What's the date? Month? ...Year? How long was I gone?"

Sebastián stood up and retrieved his wand. He attempted to straighten himself up a bit but it was a lost cause without some major work. Many faces in the room were new. The few familiar faces at least made him know he was in the right place. His eyes eventually rested fully on Maya who would be the most reliable source as far as he was concerned for the moment.

"Can you meet me... in... your office I guess... In a couple hours?" He had no idea if his office would still be an option so he opted for hers while he got a few things figured out and got himself cleaned. "I'll need some... debriefing."

An awkward Sebas left the room after a nod and smile to those present. He felt ashamed of what had gone down and needed to get a clear head now. He'd thank them later and get to know them when he wasn't a horrifying mess.

What was happening, you may ask? Well, Elaine wouldn't know. The thoughts floating in her mind were those of food and how cool it would be if they were to have a food fight. Grey eyes followed absentmindedly at the woman walking around the room. Her light hair was shiny in the light of the room. A very pretty lady at that. She looked as if she was a queen. An air of power came with her presence.

But what was she doing, scurrying around the kitchen like that? Tea, maybe? At least that's what it looked like. Just in a cauldron? Swimming in her thoughts, she paid no attention to what was happening. Everything was quiet and all that she could hear was her own quiet humming and the squeak the chair made when she swung her feet. Then suddenly the pretty lady stopped making whatever she was making and she, and a bunch of other adults, looked and spoke to a man. The identity of the weird man was unknown to her. The whole room seemed tense, like even the walls were caving in closer, like they wanted to get a better view of what they were up to. 

Surely, everyone had introduced themselves. Well, at least the ones here. Elaine couldn't remember a single one of their names. In one ear and out the other was no joke when it came to the blonde. The ditzy young woman was known for her ability to just forget things. Sometimes important things. But the rest of the world had come back and she was back where she had started.  The weird man had left the room and she waved at his departure, kind of sad she didn't catch his name. "Bye-bye, weird man!"

Getting up from her chair, she scampered over to what the pretty lady had made. She gestured to the fair-haired queen. "Um, hey miss pretty lady queen, what did you, uh, brew?" The mental facepalm of all things mature in adults could be felt around the room. How could someone just address someone else that way? It was quite weird and, admittedly, unintentionally a teeny bit disrespectful. Not that she knew that it was. She just simply couldn't remember what her name was and had just referred to her what she called her in her own mind. Even the youngest person in the room seemed more mature than Elaine. "What's your name again? Mine's Elaine. I like my name. I bet your name is pretty like you." Her words might have seemed creey in some cases, but, like most words that came out of Elaine's mouth, it seemed silly. Like something nobody would take seriously. 

Hjørdis silently questioned the madness of everything that went on in the kitchens. This was supposed to be a casual meeting, among the Professors to meet their colleagues. It seemed to turn from a 'meeting' to a simply a 'mess' at some point and there was no explanation as to why, other than the rather obvious fact that this school employed a strange bunch of people. It was around about this time that she questioned why she accepted this position. It was a sign that perhaps she was foolish to have trusted someone but nonetheless, she was here now. And things were, at the very least, interesting enough to spark her attention for a short while.

Though... It did look like things were getting more interesting by the moment. Perhaps the job was more exciting than she had originally anticipated. Being bored was definitely not something the new Slytherin Head could cope with. Hogwarts seemed to be anything but 'boring'.

The female watched as the potion started to affect the drugged and drunk man, who was announced to be the former Deputy Headmaster, Cazarez. Her expressionless face waited for a while. Her eyes flickered a little, from the drunkard to the old lady who suddenly showed up and back to the drunkard. She observed the potions master force the whole potion in him - a smart idea as it seemed to work fairly quickly. Her eyes flickered once more, to a blonde haired woman that seemed to be watching her but she returned her gaze to the more important situation and awaited for the results.

The man seemed confused, unsure of what was going on and fairly embarrassed. It was not long before he excused himself from the situation. Two down. This 'meeting' was definitely informal. A part of her almost cringed as she heard someone address him as 'weird man', something she did not even expect her first year students to say. They could think it, of course but to actually say it out aloud seemed utterly bizarre.

Hjørdis turned back to her tea that was brewing nicely in the cauldron on the stove. She picked up a large spoon, mixing it a little. Within moments, a blonde haired child - uh, woman - appeared next to her, addressing her. Well, at least, Hjørdis assumed she was addressing her as she asked for a 'Miss Pretty Lady Queen', whatever that meant. It was an unusual combination of a variety of compliments but could also be portrayed as disrespectful at the same time.

The one good thing about her former profession is that such a conversation would never have happened. There were strange people within the profession, no doubt. But a lack of maturity was rare. It was pretty much a requirement to be able to handle such a career in the Ministry. "Tea." Hjørdis replied simply before she decided that the childlike woman would perhaps continue to ask questions if she did not give her more information, "Brewed in a similar fashion to how my grandmother brewed it. It has spices and is a little different to regular English tea. Would you care to try some?" She asked the Professor, attempting to be polite and perhaps distracting the female from trying alcohol - which she really did not think was a good idea.

The blonde professor introduced herself. For a split second, a look of shock and panic appeared on the Slytherin's face. It was probably not something anyone noticed. It was there for a mere moment and was easily missed, unless you were looking intensely at the woman's face. Luckily, since she was brewing facing the wall, she had her back to the majority of the room and it would be missed. But the shock and panic she had felt lasted. She removed traces and evidence of it from her expression, opting to try and appear calm.

However, her heart had started to beat a little faster in those mere moments. Elaine. That was the name of this child?! She turned her head to look at the blonde professor. This child was... the Elaine?! There was no way. Well, it could happen... Most of the people that Hjørdis had met on her mother's side had very light coloured hair. Magic also made you look younger. It was not the appearance that confused Hjørdis, it was the personality. She could definitely have been related to this lady but a part of her really wished she was not. She was not sure she could handle being in the same room as her for more than five minutes, let alone spending family dinners with her...

Was it really possible that this lady was her aunt Elaine...?!

It took very single ounce of self-control that the woman had to stop herself from staring at her, gobsmacked and baffled. Hjørdis must have looked at her for only a few seconds. Her hand still slowly stirring the mixture in the cauldron. It was barely noticeable but if she was unaffected by this interaction, she would not have looked at her for even half the amount of time and her mixing would be a little faster. Hjørdis looked away for a moment, looking around for the cardamom bottle. She picked it up, before putting it back down again after a moment. Deciding not to question the insanity that the ditsy lady was Elaine, she decided to answer her.

Normally, Hjørdis introduced herself as Nora. It was the name she had gone by for many years. Since she was a student, in fact. The amount of people who knew her full name was very short and few. Those who knew her before she changed her name were among the only people who knew. Her family and friends at the time, essentially. In this country, she could count the amount of people who knew her name on one hand and it just so happened that a few were in Hogwarts. She had never once introduced herself as Hjørdis after she moved to UK. Until today. "Hjørdis Jensen," The Slytherin said softly, watching her face to see if there was any sign of recognition, "But I now go by 'Nora' as it is easier to pronounce," She continued. The amount of people who knew her real name had pretty much just doubled with her words - at least, of the people she was still in touch with. It was a strange feeling for the normally secretive woman.

But there was something about Hogwarts. She could not quite put her finger on why she had disclosed information that she had not shared so openly with others. Perhaps it was a reflection on her current mental state and the amount of pure shock that she was in. After everything that had happened today from running into a name she recognised to a drugged man, perhaps it had affected her self-control just a little. She paused for a moment, almost hesitating to ask... "Are you related to Muirenn Burke, by any chance?" She asked the lady, silently begging the woman to say no as she dreaded her answer.

After more fussing over his person the former Deputy Headmaster had the good sense to make an exit of it. Elena had no idea what had happened to him, but her interest in finding out was only mild to begin with. He was grown man, and not of the stupid sort from what he could tell, so there was no reason to treat him like a lost child beyond the necessary.

The halfeagle lost interest even faster than she did, moving back to where her clothing covered it fully, joining the other tattoos in roaming where thick layers of fabric hid them from any prying eyes - it was easier to take in the new environment without having to constantly keep half her attention diverted, ready to stop the guardian should it get triggered by any bystander.

Elena had instinctively drifted away from the commotion and towards the more quiet part of the gathering. It was the place the blonde Professor Jensen had chosen to brew her tea, but before she could decide whether or not she wanted to engage her conversation one the young professors arrived at the scene, displaying a behaviour that made her arch a brow in how over the top it was. Well, the Slytherin Head of House had at least one fan already, it seemed.

She was about to turn around and find herself a place to sit, when their conversation took an interesting turn. Hjørdis. A Norse name... her cousin's daughter had been with a man of partially Scandinavian descent from what he could remember. Elena hadn't found out which of the Professors she was yet simply because none of their names were remotely Irish or nordic enough to trigger her interest. Could this woman be her cousins’ daughter? Better her than the hyperactive blonde.

Without thinking about it she took a step towards the women, mostly uncaring about listening in on their private conversation as anyone in earshot could follow their interaction if they so liked.

"Are you related to Muirenn Burke, by any chance?"

The otherwise confident Professor looked almost hesitant when asking the question. It made Elena smile to see. There was something special about family, about those who shared your blood and name and magic, those you were bound to through circumstances outside of your control.

After that last, single visit following Alexandru's death she hadn't seen any of her blood family in over twenty years. It would be a lie to say that she wasn't wistful.

Elaine coughed once, unobtrusively, just to draw the younger woman’s attention.

"She is my cousin," she declared softly, dark eyes fixed on Nora Jensen. "I might have introduced myself incorrectly earlier. Let me remedy that: Elaine Pendrast, formerly of the Burke family."

For years, Hjørdis had practiced masking her emotions and covering them with a fake sense of coldness and professionalism. It was those many years of practice that she was incredibly grateful for right now. If she had not had them, she probably would have broken down in front of everyone on her first meeting. Because inside, she was freaking the hell out. She had come to Hogwarts expecting nothing more than a job that she would do for a while, whilst she figured out what she wanted to do in life and sorted things out. Yet, now she was here, she had found so many things that had completely thrown her.

After the year that she had, the one thing she did not expect to find in Hogwarts was family. Hjørdis was shocked but incredibly pleased by the discovery. She could add another family member to her Christmas card list this year, the very short list that was slowly growing once more. Family was important, she would never admit how important it was to her in a room full of strangers but it was incredibly important. And family was the one thing you could not choose. If Hjørdis had a choice, she would have chosen a very different family than the one she had now but that was another story.

A lot of stuff had happened and she was still being impacted by that. Her relationship with her mother had started to grow a little stronger than it had before but even to this day, Hjørdis never fully understood why she did what she did. She cared for her and she would do anything she could to protect her but she did not feel the same attachment to her as she did to her paternal side. There were very few people that she even knew from her maternal side. Elaine Seaborne could very well have been her aunty, from the lack of knowledge she had about the Burke family.

The confidence that the Slytherin Professor once possessed seemed to be hesitating as she watched the blonde's reaction. However, a cough caught her attention before the blonde had a chance to speak. Turning her gaze, it fell onto another Professor. Elena, if she remembered correctly - the other Slytherin Professor. Hjørdis blinked as her words hit her. Relief washed over her, almost glad that the hyperactive child was not her aunt but... she was still a little shocked by the discovery. So it was true... This woman was related to her mother. First or second, perhaps even third cousins... She could not remember at this point - nor did it matter. Blood was blood, that was that. It did not matter if they were a third cousin or your sibling, they were still family and that was enough.

Hjørdis watched her, silently. Her expression was blank, maintaining the professional - albeit cold - mask that she always had on. Her hands were behind her back at this point, pressing tightly against each other as they shook a little. Luckily, no one could see it as they were hidden between her back and the counter that she had been working on. She remained silent for a few moments, unsure of how to proceed.

What do you say to someone you shared blood with but had never met before?

"I guess that makes you my aunt, then..." Taking a polite approach, Hjørdis nodded at her in a form of a greeting and a sign of respect - one that she did not give to many people. "Pleased to meet you," She paused for a moment, almost struggling to keep hold of her professional appearance. Hjørdis was feeling far too emotional right now, completely swamped with all of these different things she was experiencing. "Ah, one moment." She suddenly recalled her tea, that was pretty much about to overbrew. In all of the emotion, she had almost forgotten about it.

Weird for her... Given that she specialised in alchemy and had years of practice in both that and potions. She was used to brewing potions whilst multitasking and yet, she almost ruined her tea - which was such a simple thing to make. Hjørdis immediately turned around, stopped the flame and stirred the tea. Bringing forward the teapot, she opened it and left it on the counter. Opening up the cardamom bottle, she chucked in a couple of pinches of it before stirring that it. Carefully, she tilted the mixture in the small cauldron into the teapot. Hjørdis closed the teapot, pausing for a moment. All of this gave her a few moments to attempt to compose herself a little better. She picked some a couple of clean teacups and saucers, putting them onto a tray with the teapot.

She tapped the utensils she used with her wand, cleaning it all up instantly. Normally, she would hand wash everything and put it all away properly. The muggle way. But she was in no mood to do such a thing right now. She could barely think straight, let alone do anything without giving away her emotions. The less she did, the better. The less time she spent here, the better.

Her heart was pounding faster than it ought to be but she tried very hard not to show a single sign of her emotions on her face or in her actions. She steadied the shakiness of her hands, calming herself down as she picked up the tray, "Perhaps we could catch up over a drink sometime?" She asked Elaine, turning around and facing her, recalling that the dark haired professor had also been up to drink with her. Hjørdis, for one, did not want to make a big deal out of this in front of everyone - nor did she want anyone to be involved in her family matters.

Glancing around the room, she observed the people left standing. There were a few that she wanted to get to know - but the majority seemed like a pain, to be quite frank. Most seemed like she would have to simply tolerate their presence. Looking around, she noted the faces of the people she wanted to get to know a bit more. Aoi and her sister seemed like an interesting pair. One was a Slytherin, which definitely caught her attention and the other seemed very skilled in what she did. A few of the ladies who dealt with the former deputy headmaster seemed to, at least, know things that she would want to know. They were knowledgeable, she liked that. Then there was the potions master. She observed him for a moment, finally over her initial shock and fangirl moment. She could not help but wonder what he was doing there though. She looked back at Elena. Her tante, Elena, was definitely someone Hjørdis wanted to get to know... That was a given. Of all of the people in the room, she was probably the one that Hjørdis wanted to get to know the most, to be quite honest.

Hjørdis nodded politely once more, "Please excuse me for now. I should continue unpacking." She explained, deciding to excuse herself from this mess of a meeting as soon as possible. It was already very weird... There was a drunk man and a new family member... Things could not get weirder. But they probably would if she stayed. Hjørdis did not want to break down. Excusing herself and retiring to her dungeons was far better than breaking down in her first meeting with most of the professors.

With that, Hjørdis left the kitchens almost as quickly as she entered, staring blankly ahead as she walked out with her tray and freshly brewed tea.

[THREAD LEFT]

Elena watched silently as Hjørdis Jensen turned to look at her. She was a strong one, in control of her face, her posture, her voice now, not giving away a thing as their gazes crossed. Her eyes were the blue of the Burke family, a trait Elaine herself hadn’t inherited from her father.

The Irish side of the family favored light hair and eyes in general, but with over twenty years since their last meeting Elena couldn’t remember if there was a great resemblance between Muireen Burke – her second cousin – and her daughter. Maybe there was, maybe she only saw it because she wanted to see it. She herself didn’t resemble the Burke family much, though neither did she resemble the broad, ample look of the Bulstrode women her mother was a prime example of. Elaine was neither nor, tall with her mother’s dark eyes and most of her father’s face.

There was no visible likeness that marked her as Professor Jensen’s blood, but then there needn’t be. She wasn’t shallow enough to think that appearance mattered, not when her mother had looked like a Bulstrode, tried to make their name proud and still been ostracized for a muggle father who’d never been in her life to begin with.

“The pleasure is mine,” she replied when the younger witch introduced herself a second time, more formal this time round.

Somehow Elena had liked the first time better. It had been less formal, less strict, with a casual grace that had impressed her more than the tactile solemnity she was showing now. Restraint was a virtue, but it could also be a burden – Elena hadn’t expected a hug, a smile, a warm welcome even, but maybe, just maybe, she had expected more trust.

I am not your enemy, child, she thought, looking at Nora Jensen’s back.

It wasn’t fair to think like that however, not when she had done nothing to earn the Professor’s trust, not when she had obviously caught her off guard with her admittance to their family relation.

So she watched the other woman prepare tea with practiced easy, standing there silently, her dark eyes the only thing betraying the stillness of her body as they followed every movement of her cousin’s daughter. Elena had no wish to read her, didn’t think she could have really, but she studied, paid attention unobtrusively as was her wont.

When those blue eyes finally were on her again she smiled softly, her voice gentle like she would have used for a scared student or her daughter when she’d woken form a nightmare. “I would love to… at your convenience of course. I do not want to intrude.”

She watched Nora go with a polite nod.

A memory throbbed at the back of her thoughts at the sight of her straight back and purposeful stride – Elena was a good enough Occlumens to know that it would push through no matter what and so she pulled it to the forefront of her mind.

Constanta, her sister, spine rigid, with tear-streaked cheeks and hard blue eyes. Hurt, broken, but still never staggering under her burden, head held high, refusing to listen to her reasoning anymore, her decision made. “I am the head of this family, Elena, and I say you will go.” She was bound to the family head, had accepted to be bound, but Elena had never thought that it would hurt like this. For both of them.

The half eagle cawed audibly from beneath her collar, stirred by the memory, suddenly restless and agitated. It had always picked up on her moods, but lately with the separation from her family her emotions had become even more tightly interwoven with the tattoos on her skin.

“Shush,” she told it quietly and put the memory back in the depths of her mind.

A natural her first teacher had called her and it was true. From childhood Elaine’s mindscape had been an orderly one, ideal for Occlumency, though the aggressiveness needed for Legilimency would forever be beyond her.

Her dark eyes focused on the still steaming tea Professor Jensen had prepared before she’d left so abruptly. It smelled delicious, calming. To leave let it turn cold would be a waste, especially with the care that had gone into making it.

Elena made eye contact with one of the house elves bustling about and the creature immediately made a beeline for her. “How can Terry be of service, Ms. Professor?”

“Please, bring this to the rooms of the Head of Slytherin,” she instructed, pointing to the tea, and then cast a quick look towards the area where most of the other Professors were still crowding together. The lion man was out of sight for now, and the others were busy enough among themselves to not mourn her absence, she assumed. “And a glass of firewhisky to my quarters if you would be so kind, leave it on the coffee table.”

The elf blushed – she hadn’t known they could do that – and stammered an agreement before running off to find a suitable tray for the tea set.

She would have liked to study it more, but her guardian was still on edge and Elena knew better than to provoke an unnecessary confrontation by remaining in close proximity with so many talented wizards and witches. What she needed was that firewhisky and her new book on the ritual arts of the early 13th century Mongolian Empire.

“If you would excuse me, please,” she addressed her fellow Professors on the way out. “I’m afraid I’m not in a mood to be sociable today. I wish you all a pleasant evening.”

It was as if nothing ever happened. It was always like that with Sebastian Cazarez. He was a drama queen when he need to be. Although she rolled her eyes at the fact that he mentioned to meet her in her office within a couple of hours, she was going to be there. Something happened and she was curious to know what it was.

Sebastian may be a blundering fool at times, but he was still a smart man. Paradoxical, really. Though Maya enjoys friends who have extra layers on them. It's never the same and always mysterious. She looked him in the eye and nodded. He left the room suddenly and there was a bit of a calming sensation that hit the room. Maya could feel as though time had just stopped for a few minutes. Perhaps everyone, even herself, was processing what was going on. It was definitely not a normal meet and greet.

Maya put the hood of her cloak back on and made her way out of the kitchen without saying a word to anyone. She hadn't met any one person anyways for her to do an individual goodbye, and on top of that, she had some business to take care of. Some that were of no concern for others. Walking to the door, she opened it and closed it behind her, leaving the scene.

[THREAD LEFT]