Bad Company

[Rafael Ochoa]

Rafael Ochoa entered the Great Hall, wand in hand, and stopped, looking at the grandeur room. He turned around and took out a bundle of parchment, tossing it behind him, following with a series of quick, sharp motions with his wand. The parchment froze in midair and tore into a number of identical length sheets, and words started appearing on the paper.

Professor,

I would like to cordially invite you to the Great Hall this Fifth of August, 2048, so as to introduce you to the rest of your colleagues at the behest of the Headmistress, since there have been a number of hires this year.
I will be waiting in the Great Hall at the fifth hour past noon.

Sincerely,
Rafael Ochoa
Professor, Defense Against the Dark Arts

Satisfied with that, Ochoa twirled his wand in a tight circle and flicked it, and all the parchment curled up and flew off towards the offices of his peers. He had an hour, which meant that he realistically had fifty-nine minutes, so long as he didn't make any terrible mistakes while setting up.

He turned back to the Great Hall itself, and started working. The tables all sunk into the floor quickly, and the Professor's table at the head floated into the center of the floor, transfiguring into a larger, rounded version, the chairs soon following thereafter and taking their places about the table's perimeter. He then flicked his wand once more and a number of plates, utensils and napkins appeared on the table, as well as a large table cloth.

He then made his way to the least assuming seat across from that of the Headmistress and sat down, pulling a small paperback book out of the tip of his wand, which he did not let go of. He had volunteered to set up the hall for this pre-term meeting so as to acquaint all the new professors with those who had remained, and now all that was left to do was wait and idly consider how well he would get on with his new workmates.

[Pandora Pythios]

Pandora had just finished her lesson planning for the first through fifth year students. She would be sure to not force anything too complex on them. She couldn't expect much from them, after all. They hadn't had her as a teacher, before. She was likely to be harsher on them than they had ever experienced. She would be sure of that.

She glanced at the sheet of lessons for the sixth through seventh year students. They, on the other hand, were going to be plunged into the deep end immediately.

She noticed movement from the door. She swiped her wand from the desk and aimed it at the zooming piece of parchment.

"Immobulus," she called out, causing it to freeze in place.

Slowly, she approached the parchment and unrolled it.

'Professor,

I would like to cordially invite you to the Great Hall this Fifth of August, 2048, so as to introduce you to the rest of your colleagues at the behest of the Headmistress, since there have been a number of hires this year.
I will be waiting in the Great Hall at the fifth hour past noon.

Sincerely,
Rafael Ochoa
Professor, Defense Against the Dark Arts'

She sighed and slipped the papers on her desk into a drawer. She then placed the parchment into one of her coat pockets before heading off to the Great Hall. She passed through the large, empty halls, her high-heeled shoes clicking along the stone floors and echoing off of the walls.

Finally, she found herself in the large, gorgeous room that was called the Great Hall. It was magnificent. She spotted the man she assumed sent the messages. Without saying a word, Pandora walked up to the table, sitting three seats away from Rafael. As she slipped off her glasses, she offered him a quiet pleasantry.

"Good morning."

[Rafael Ochoa]

Ochoa did not immediately react visibly when the doors opened, and he heard the familiar sound of footsteps on stone. His hand tightened very slightly on his wand, and he closed the book with his other hand, looking up to the visitor, who he discovered was a serious looking woman. After a moment, he smiled warmly.

"Good afternoon, Miss Pythios," Ochoa said, quite comfortably. "How long has it been--ten years?" he asked, without offering further explanation, expecting that she would remember his face, or at least the position she occupied in the timeframe he was referring to. He distinctly remembered meeting her within the Auror Office about a decade ago, maybe slightly more. He didn't realize that he'd be meeting anyone familiar to himself today, Adrian had certainly not mentioned that any former Aurors were hired besides himself. Ochoa was starting to wonder how many other professors would already know he was a former Auror, a subject he was still not fain to discuss.

[Pandora Pythios]

She looked up as he called her by name. She arched an eyebrow as he inquired about how many years had passed since they had known each other. She couldn't quite recognize him, though she felt that she had indeed known him. She pulled out a slip of parchment as she suddenly began to think of some other things that she wanted to add on to her lesson plans. She slipped her glasses back on before finally replying.

"I'm afraid I don't quite remember you, professor," she replied, her voice still quiet and cold. Hey eyes shifted to look over the tops of the lenses as she scrutinized him further, pursing her lips as she tried to think of who he was. Suddenly a name clicked into her mind. "If I remember correctly, your name was Rafael? A former auror for the Ministry?"

She then looked down as she began jotting down ideas.

"I must confess myself rather confused as to why Hogwarts is employing so many aurors in their staff now," she continued. "Maybe it has to do with the TriWizard Tournament. Are they fearing they are going to have a repeat of what happened all those years ago?"

[Bertram Corvus]

Bertram was hiking his way through the Dark Forest, getting a feel for it once again. It had been a good long while since he had been in the forest. The last time he was here, a Dark wizard tried to make some sort of foolish attack on Hogwarts. If Bertram hadn't caught him, one of the staff would have, or possibly any defenses the school had in store for such an event.

Soon he saw movement and instantly became intrigued. Just what was it?

Imagine his disappointment upon discovering that it was merely enchanted parchment. He took the parchment in hand and unrolled it so he could read it. He sighed, signalling his disappointment. He had hoped to spend most of today outdoors...

He placed the parchment in his vest pocket and apparated, his body becoming wreathed in dark grey smoke, trailing through the forest until he reached the edge of the Dark Forest.

He quickly made his way up to the castle, his cane hitting the floor with every other step and his long cape flowing behind him. Finally, he entered the large room with it's enchanted ceiling.

"Good morning," he called out, signalling his presence as he moved to sit two spaces away from Rafael, opposite Pandora.

He kept his hand on the handle of his cane. That was, after all, where he kept his wand. He then looked up to the others that had sat down as well. A smirk crept across his face.

"Well, it looks as though Hogwarts will be in high security, doesn't it?" he mused, smirking. "Rafael, or should I now say, Professor Ochoa, it's a pleasure to see you again. And Professor Pythios, isn't this...interesting?"

He and Pandora hadn't ever really been on the same page...except for when it came to punishment of Dark magic users. Harsh and cruel. After all, it was all Dark wizards and witches were used to.

[Mikaela Hererra]

Mikaela sat in her new office, carefully going through books, planning out the year's lessons. She was new, and therefor had to start out with something simple, especially to the older students, who would probably be used to the old professor. She lifted her hand to cover her mouth as she yawned. Was she already tired? She checked the time and scowled. It wasn't even late. She shouldn't be tired.

Suddenly, a roll of parchment came zooming into her office, yet landed neatly on her desk. Curiously, Mikaela unrolled it and read:

Professor,

I would like to cordially invite you to the Great Hall this Fifth of August, 2048, so as to introduce you to the rest of your colleagues at the behest of the Headmistress, since there have been a number of hires this year.
I will be waiting in the Great Hall at the fifth hour past noon.

Sincerely,
Rafael Ochoa
Professor, Defense Against the Dark Arts

Mikaela looked at the clock again. She should better go ahead and go then. She made sure to save her place in her books before standing and making her way to the Great Hall. Mikaela knew she was one of the newer hires that Rafael was talking about, and had only had the chance to really talk with one of the dueling professors, so she was curious as to how she'd get along with the other professors. She was sure she wouldn't have a problem though, she got along with basically everyone.

Mikaela lost herself in her own thoughts for a while as she walked, before she arrived at the doors leading to the Great Hall and sighed. Here goes nothing. Luckily, she heard voices inside, and knew she wouldn't be the first to arrive, which would be an awkward situation for her to be in. Mikaela opened the door and walked inside, noticing three professors gathered around a large round table in the middle of the hall.

"Hello." Mikaela said kindly, trying not to sound nervous as she approached the group. She sure hoped she didn't interrupt a conversation or something.

[Rafael Ochoa]

"Quite alright, I'm not of any great consequence," he replied offhandedly, in a rather sincere manner.

"Yes," Ochoa said, nodding his head and vanishing his book in a short motion. He then placed his wand away at his waist, and laxed his hands, with less willpower than usual.

"That depends, Miss Pythios," Ochoa replied, "on whether or not you came directly because of the Triwizard Tournament. I certainly did not seek employment here because of it, I came aboard a year ago, and hadn't even heard of he Tournament then. I do hope we can perform a more adequate job of security, however," he added, and then turned to the door as an older man entered, cane in hand.

"Good afternoon, Professor Corvus," Ochoa said, to Bertram, and smiled a little. "The same to you, sir. Though Rafael is quite alright, since we're among peers here, I'd actually prefer it." Ochoa was rather surprised at the new hires. He was no longer the sole Auror on board.

"It certainly is interesting, and I quite agree, the atmosphere will be much more secure with the two of you among the ranks."

Ochoa turned to the fourth arrival, and smiled warmly again, standing this time.

"Hello," he said. "I am Rafael Ochoa, I can see you received my note."

[Henri Bijous]

Henri was caught napping by the parchment, which hovered above him for a few minutes before its constant crinkling finally woke the sleeping wizard. Henri himself was still suffering from the difference in time between here and Louisiana. Perhaps that visit to his grandmother for the last month to tell her the good news had not been a proper expenditure of his time after all. Sitting up and escaping his hammock was a chore but a necessary one as his feet touched the cold ground and he gazed about his quarters.

They were modest, they were clean except for the piles of books here and there, and most importantly they were his. A splash of water on his face and a fresh set of pants and a casual button down shirt were applied to his form before he set foot into the castle hallways. Hard to believe it had been more than a decade since he last walked the halls, and then a student, of this institution. Despite that fact his feet found their well practiced passage into the great hall unimpeded by rusty memories hidden in the bald skull of professor Bijous.

His arrival at the table was unimpressive, a simple shuffle with his hands buried in his pockets and his wand tucked up his sleeve out of habit. His name was not famous, he was no Auror or some great writer, and his skills with forms of magic were slightly above average at best, but apparently the school found his abilities and research on Legilimency impressive. Henri only prayed that his name was remembered for that and not the article published in the profit about his sister's attack on him last year in Diagon Alley.

"Good evening, I do hope dat I am not running late dis evening." that accent betrayed his French Haitian bloodline and raising from his grandmother. "I am Henri. Henri Bijous, and I've been hired to teach Legilimency dis year. It is a pleasure to meet you all."

[Pandora Pythios]

Pandora shook her head slightly. "No, I'm afraid I wasn't completely aware of the TriWizard Tournament taking place this year before I took the job. Not that I'm complaining."

Then she noticed Bertram Corvus walk in. This went from a somewhat neutral meeting to a terribly dreaded one.

Pandora shot Bertram a cold glare. She genuinely didn't like him. Her son and his daughter had been married for quite some time now. While she and his daughter got along fairly well, she could never seem to get along with Bertram.

"Please don't pretend that we would even be able to enjoy each other's company," she hissed. "After all, all I ever hear from your side of the family, daughter excluded, is how obsessed I am with my job and how I rarely spend any time with the grandchildren."

Her eyes then shifted to focus on the woman walking through at that moment. Again, she didn't seem to genuinely acknowledge her. She merely gave a slight nod before returning to her parchment.

Before too long, yet another professor made his way into the room. He had a very thick accent, so she had to assume that he was the wizard who had transferred from the Americas, more specifically, Louisiana.

[Bertram Corvus]

Bertram smirked at Pandora before acknowledging what Rafael said.

"It should be, yes," he replied. "I'm rather interested to see what this batch of youngsters will turn up. In fact, I do hope to see my grandson in my class. He's a Gryffindor, Devin Pythios."

He then paused for a moment or two as he thought about the fact that there were so many former aurors on staff this year.

"To be quite honest, I wasn't aware there was going to be a TriWizard Tournament this year, were you?" he inquired. "Perhaps it was merely fate that brought all of us here. I do hope that doesn't mean that something dreadful is bound to happen. Then again, I'm sure the three of us would be more than able to handle whatever situation comes our way."

The doors opened again, a woman strolling through and acting somewhat shy. As she went to sit down, Bertram attempted to remember her name. Finally it clicked.

"Ah, the astronomy teacher, yes?" he began. "Herrera, I believe it is?" Then another teacher with a very pronounced Louisiana accent. "Welcome, Professor Bijous. And no, I do not believe you are late."

[Mikayla Menki]

Mikayla was in Hogsmeade when she received the note for all the professors to meet in the Great Hall. She wasn’t really sure if she even wanted to go, as it was such an annoyingly long walk to the castle but she figured she should. It would give her a chance to meet all of the teachers she was going to be working with and maybe pick up a few pointers. She was sure all of them would have had lots of teaching experience before now, even if it wasn’t at Hogwarts. Mikayla had never been a teacher before, as it was her first year out of Hogwarts, but apparently she knew enough about Herbology to be trusted with the teaching position.

She knew she was late to the meeting, and most of the professors would probably be there already. When she neared the Great Hall, she heard many voices, thus confirming her earlier suspicion. She walked in quietly, looking at all the new professors that had been hired, she felt so young compared to all of them; after all, she was only 18.

[kojiro]

Kojiro walked in slowly, not in robed, but in a pair of black slacks and a blue button up shirt. he found these British robes were a tad uncomfortable.

Continuing in, he first noted Kite's girl, Mikayla, and nodded in her direction as he crossed her sight. He then sat in a chair, quietly, before waiting for a break in the conversation to say "Go aisatsu mina, Greetings all." he nodded his head. He crossed his arms, relaxing a bit and smiling at Ochoa. "Thank you kindly for the invitation, sir." he said. He looked around the room. Pandora and Bertram were there, as well as Mikaela, and Henry. Then, Mikayla Menki was there, standing not too far away. Everyone was in place. He then listened to the discussion about the Triwizard Tournament, but stayed silent, for he not only had no idea how the Tournament was run, but he had only been here for a short time, and with all thing's considered, he had spent the greater part of the week beating the Rouge members of his old "club" off of his back, thus, staying alive.

[Professor Ben Travers]

It was true that he would probably be the last one to the party, but Ben Travers had a few things on his plate to take care of first. He had been somewhat distant from the rest of the Professors since he started, but that was partly due to him having to return to a somewhat sociable behavior.

This would probably be an interesting meeting, as he knew most of the current Professors were former Aurors. There was a good chance that he had worked with a few of them before. He entered the Great Hall, his wand hidden in his robe sleeve like normal. He wasn't sure exactly how to introduce himself, so he simply said, "Good day, all. I trust I find all of you well."

He took a seat without offering too much more of an introduction. He looked around at his fellow Professors and recognized a few faces, but he couldn't recall ever working directly with any of them, though there was always that chance.

[Rafael Ochoa]

"Clearly we will have our work cut out for us," Ochoa responded to Pandora, turning to Bertram and nodded. He remained silent when Miss--Missus?--Pythios remarked rather coldly towards Mister Corvus.

"Indeed, Mister Corvus, our staff should certainly be more than able to handle any difficulties presented by the Tournament. I daresay any new hires will be likewise able to handle themselves, though I cannot say they'll be Aurors.

"Of course not, Mister Bijous," Ochoa said, smiling at Henri. "You're quite early, in fact, as is the rest of our party," he said, casting his off hand around at the gathered professors.

Whence Professor Yukiteru Kojiro entered the room, Ochoa nodded to him and replied kindly, "of course, Professor, I could only imagine the rest of you would do me the same honor of being invited to make sure we're all on the same level."

Ochoa smiled at Mikayla, whom he had not had as a student, but recognized from school the previous year. "Good afternoon, Miss Menki."

"I must say I am indeed well, Mister Travers," Ochoa said, "I trust you come in the same manner?" he asked.

Ochoa thought this was very nearly all of the professors, and did not see any obvious issues that would need to be worked out, which was fortunate. The little spat between Miss Pythios and Mister Corvus was... unusual, but it seemed like the usual for in-laws, judging from what he had been informed.