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Post by Aubergine Oswin on Nov 20, 2013 19:35:35 GMT -5
Aubergine's quidditch gear was slim-fitting and charmed to keep her warm even in the chill wind she saw blowing through the windows. A couple of pouches hung from her belt, one wiggling and bumping about as though it wanted to rush through the air, and the other much smaller and more calm. She wasn't about to give up her old, reliable bludger and snitch, not when she had had them for so long. A broomstick was propped casually against her shoulder, another old, reliable piece of equipment that was a few years out of date.
She'd settled into her new quarters quickly enough and was now much more interested in getting a good look at the stadium, including the field and the changing rooms. Of course, getting out to the stadium involved finding her way to the Entrance Hall through the winding corridors. At least she could see windows, so unless they were fakes like the wall pretending to be a door from earlier, she had to be on the right path.
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Post by Dare Blackwood-Hardt on Nov 20, 2013 20:08:18 GMT -5
Dare was taking a shortcut from his office back to the tower when he turned a corner and saw someone up ahead. A female someone. There weren't a lot of female professors around anymore. Professors Pythia and Arabella were so long gone that he'd never met either of them, and Hells had been on some kind of medical leave. Dahlia was blonde, and Dru only ever seemed to be in the library. So who was she? His steps quickened slightly. Maybe he'd just catch up and say hello.
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Post by Aubergine Oswin on Nov 20, 2013 20:18:46 GMT -5
Aubergine heard footsteps approaching behind her and turned to walk backward and see who it was. Though she didn't recognize the man, she smiled and waved. "Hello, I was beginning to think they were lying when they said people actually live in the castle," she said. The only voices she'd heard since leaving her quarters were portraits and a particularly grumpy ghost.
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Post by Dare Blackwood-Hardt on Nov 20, 2013 20:32:24 GMT -5
"The students avoid this wing," Dare said, giving a half-smile back. He could see the quidditch gear better now, and it clicked. "Chase found a quidditch coach," he said. "Welcome to Hogwarts. Ah, what are you trying to find?" If it was her quarters, she could be close.
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Post by Aubergine Oswin on Nov 20, 2013 20:40:40 GMT -5
"Outside," Aubergine said, gesturing toward a window. "I figure if I follow the windows long enough I'll find a door." She walked slowly to let him catch up with her, though with his long legs it wouldn't take very long anyway. "I'm Aubergine, your new quidditch coach and flying instructor."
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Post by Dare Blackwood-Hardt on Nov 20, 2013 20:46:39 GMT -5
"Aubergine, there's a cool name," Dare said. "Everyone calls me Dare except the kids. They call me that tall Transfiguration professor. Better than a lot of things they could call me." He gave a few more long, loping steps before he was caught up and gestured toward the windows with a light nod. "These are fakes," he said. "But you're heading the right way."
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Post by Aubergine Oswin on Nov 20, 2013 20:49:56 GMT -5
Aubergine snapped her fingers and turned to face forward again. "Damn, I should have known. I tried to open a door earlier and a portrait told me it was just a wall. It's going to be fun getting used to this place, to say the least." Her old school hadn't had nearly the same amount of personality. "Any tricks to know when something's a fake, or do I need to tote around a portrait or a tall Transfiguration professor to clue me in?"
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Post by Dare Blackwood-Hardt on Nov 20, 2013 20:53:46 GMT -5
Dare chuckled. "I don't come in pocket-size," he said, then gave a thoughtful look. "Well, I guess I do, but my kids aren't any good at directions." And they really looked more like Michael, if mostly because of the hair. Maybe he'd go ginger for a while just to see how he liked it.
"All you can do is learn where the big things are. Some things move around. A good point me will get you to one side or the other, at least."
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Post by Aubergine Oswin on Nov 20, 2013 21:02:23 GMT -5
"Ah, well, I'll figure it all out eventually," Aubergine said, shrugging. "You really have kids? No offense, but you don't really look old enough." He looked relatively young, and she tended to imagine old people having kids, not ones that could have been younger than her. She probably should have tried to catch up a little on the gossip of the school.
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Post by Dare Blackwood-Hardt on Nov 20, 2013 21:20:45 GMT -5
"Yeah, I got married pretty young. I was legal and everything. He's a little older." He paused for a beat to let that sink in, though he got the feeling she wouldn't mind a bit. "I'm one of the Professors Blackwood-Hardt. My partner is either the ginger DADA professor or the ex-Death Eater, depending who you ask." Kids who were newer to the school tended to use the latter because of the media, but there were some who'd been first-years when they'd been students, and others whose older siblings had known Michael.
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Post by Aubergine Oswin on Nov 20, 2013 21:37:57 GMT -5
Aubergine was more surprised at the ex-Death Eater thing than any of the rest of it. "Now, that's interesting. It's not every day you find out one of your coworkers is a gay ex-Death Eater with kids," she said. "Are all the professors here so colorful?" She hadn't met with much of anyone in her short time in the school, so she had little to base any expectations off of.
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Post by Dare Blackwood-Hardt on Nov 20, 2013 21:44:40 GMT -5
Dare let out a low chuckle. "I guess so," he said. He reached up and pushed back a lock of long, vivid blue hair. He didn't bother correcting with the we're bi bit. It didn't matter at this point. "The Daily Prophet's dead around here, but we've all been in Cauldron at some point. I hope you've got a high tolerance for drama."
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Post by Aubergine Oswin on Nov 20, 2013 21:46:35 GMT -5
"Oh, I'm sure I can manage," Aubergine said, grinning. "When you live in a room with five other girls for seven years during school and those seven years cover puberty, you get used to drama." Thankfully, very little of the drama had ever directly involved her, but that didn't mean she was immune from hearing screaming and crying and groaning about how unfair life was or how mean someone was.
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Post by Dare Blackwood-Hardt on Nov 20, 2013 21:53:22 GMT -5
Dare chuckled. "I went to school too, but it goes way past that. Just don't say I didn't warn you." Everyone got sucked in at some point. Keith had not only gotten sucked in, but spread around some drama for the others. It was like a disease around Hogwarts, only no amount of Pepperup potion could cure it.
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Post by Aubergine Oswin on Nov 20, 2013 22:17:59 GMT -5
"Consider me warned," Aubergine said. "So, watch out for fake elements of the building and drama, think I can manage that. I heard quidditch usually isn't a big deal around here, Chase said the position's been open for a while, is that drama-related?" It was a pity for such a prestigious school to be so lax in quidditch and flying.
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