Staff Party (Hogwarts Staff)

A faculty party.

Now, there was an oxymoron if Andrei had ever seen one. Having attended his fair share of such parties as a Muggle university professor he knew how such things normally went. First, everyone would arrive with some semblance of timeliness. Then there'd be talk about classes, students, and the like. The party would then devolve from there as people got progressively more drunk until one would be hard-pressed to tell that the people gathered there were once intelligent human beings. And considering this faulty party, in particular, was being held at the Leaky Cauldron he doubted that it would be all that different.

Oh well, such things couldn't be avoided; three cheers for feigned unity.

Ducking into the bar a bit after seven-thirty, Andrei looked like no one remarkable. He wore robes of black, a pair of frameless glasses, and downcast look as if he were thinking of something rather profound. To the contrary, he was thinking just when the appropriate time to excuse himself from the party would be. Hopefully, he could get away with just exchanging a few pleasantries and then go on his way.

Pulling his gaze from the ground Andrei took in the dingy establishment. Clearly, people had better things to be doing he thought to himself. There were a few people here and there, but for the most part, it was empty. Well, save for the familiar young man sitting at the bar.

"Glass of milk," Andrei called to the barkeep as he took a seat to the left of Jake. "Or water if you don't have it."

The bartender furrowed his brow as if to ask 'what kind of man comes to a bar for milk?', but shrugged and went into the back.

"Holidays treating you well?" the older man asked turning to the former Quidditch star.

And so began the small talk...oh joy.

Grayson stepped inside the Leaky Cauldron, calm and punctual as ever. Dressed in a casual, dark grey suit, he was glad for the opportunity to get out and spend a night doing something. This sort of occasion had been rare in the past, but from what he had seen of the new headmistress, she seemed to enjoy organizing social events like this. He supposed that, with her head for business, she simply understood the importance of building connections with people. He wasn't going to complain. In fact, he appreciated it--he felt he didn't spend nearly enough time getting to know his colleagues.

Or doing much of anything, for that matter. He missed the excitement of his traveling days--each day a new opportunity to learn and discover. His reason for staying in Britain remained at the forefront of his mind, and his sense of duty to his mother never diminished, but...he couldn't help but feel a bit trapped. He shook the thoughts from his head, at least for the time being. The last thing he wanted was to start feeling resentful toward his mother--it wasn't her fault, after all. He would just need to make the most of his situation, and find something engaging to occupy him while he was here.

Recognizing the two men sitting at the bar, he took a seat next to Andrei and ordered a small brandy. It seemed no one else had shown up yet, but it was still rather early in the evening, so Grayson didn't think much of it. He nodded a greeting to the professors.

"Hello, Jake. Andrei, good to see you again. I finished the book you gave me over the summer, and some others of a similar nature. I'd love to talk with you about Ancient Runes sometime, I found the subject far more intriguing than I'd originally expected."

“They’re going as well as they can be,” the runes professor furrowed his brow slightly. “Marie’s been in and out of the country to take care of her mother, but the kids have been good sports about it. With any luck, we’ll all be together for Christmas.”

Glancing over his shoulder at the muffled sound of the door opening and closing, Andrei caught sight of Grayson’s familiar figure. Being an older, and perhaps more traditional, wizard Andrei never saw the appeal of a suit outside of formal situations—robes were much more comfortable. Personal quibbles about attire aside, he threw up his hand in a halfhearted wave in hopes of catching the librarian’s attention and sure enough, he made his way over taking a seat to Andrei’s left.

“If only half my students were like you in that respect,” Andrei shot back at the librarian making sure to flash a good-natured smile. “Though it is a bit of a coincidence you say that because I had a favor to ask you, but it will have to wait. In the meantime—”

Andrei nodded in the direction of the approaching barkeep who held in one hand a tall cool glass of milk and in the other a caramel colored brandy.

“One small brandy,” the bartender placed the drink in front of Grayson. “And one glass of milk, enjoy. Just holler if you need anything else.”

The spectacle of Andrei’s drink was only multiplied by the fact that the bartender had decided to serve it in a pint glass. This was one of the reasons he hated going to bars: no one ever knew how to serve a simple glass of milk. Was common sense too much to ask?

“Well, I suppose we should drink to something,” Andrei paused, raised his glass, and continued. “To the holidays and a brief respite from the madness that is teaching?”

He left his toast as a question, but nonetheless took a large swig of milk that left his upper lip white as the milk still in his glass.

     A staff party huh? Andrew considered this for a moment before he sent his RSVP. It would be a great chance to get to meet the new teachers! He was new this year so he didn't know many of them yet. This would be the perfect oppurtunity to make a good first empression.

    So he thought. Instead he ended up getting there ten minutes late, and as soon as he walked in the door and saw his fellow teachers he could tell he was under dressed. He sighed, but at this point there was no time to go home and change so he walked over and sat down next to one of them he didn't know.

    "Hey guys, sorry I'm late" he said casually, "I had the hardest time finding a babysitter, and then Clara didn't want me to leave, even though I know perfectly well she loves the girl who's babysitting and well..." He stopped himself before he started rambling by ordering a beer and giving the other's an embarressed though friendly smile.

"Right here," Adelaide Goshawk called out, appearing at the top of the flight of stairs that separated the pub area from the rooms the establishment allowed people to utilize should they provide sufficient cash and identification. "I prefer to appear at the exact moment I'm needed."

It had been easier to simply book a room for the day then go through the hassle of greeting ready and then leaving for the small get together the headmistress had arranged for the staff, and as she descended the stairs in a festive but unaffiliated to any Hogwarts houses dress, the woman couldn't help but applaud her own decision. proper planning was everything.

"But by all means, feel free to eat and drink to your hearts content tonight. I was so upset upon hearing that other Heads of school never made it a point for staff members to come together as a team and let their hair down." The headmistress walked over the the bar, taking her place farthest away from Miss. Faucette so the females easily sandwiched all the male teachers between them.

Gesturing for the barkeep to bring her usual - the woman waited for her scotch to arrive, neat. Reaching out a pale arm, she took the first sip to indicate everyone should indulge themselves tonight, after all, the school was the one paying.

"I am truly glad you could all make it. In addition to getting to know everyone, I also have a bit of an announcement," she added, a teasing note in her voice. With that little nugget of information though she felt silent for a bit, letting the faculty members come to their own conclusions about why this little party was organised.

Andrew nodded to Mackenzie respectfully before turning to respond to Jake. "Yes, well Clara's had a tough life. I think the only reason she stayed is because I told her She could come to work with me sometime soon." He sighed and accepted his beer from the barkeep, taking a swig and smiling. "That, and the pups stole her attention, giving me time to make a clean getaway." He chuckled and shook his head.

He turned his attention to the headmistress and grinned. She listened to her talk and watched as she sat down next to him. How lucky. He bowed his head slightly in a nod, "Well, glad you you invited us. Did you get a room here?" He gestured towards the stairs she had desended before taking a drink of his beer.

He smiled at her teasing manner and lifted one eyebrow. "Well come on now Ms. Goshawk, don't keep up waiting!"