Tappity-tap-Tepp(enpaw) [HoH speech] on Teppenpaw Commons

Professor Lilac Crosby

January 21, 2011 3:06 PM

Tappity-tap-Tepp(enpaw) [HoH speech] by Professor Lilac Crosby

As she scurried on her way to Teppenpaw Common Room, the flock of firsties hopefully right behind her, she quickly pointed out important features along the way for the kids to use as landmarks. Occasionally she pointed at things like the entrance to the Labyrinth Gardens or the Library and stating on a breath, “That’s important,” or, “Don’t forget seeing that.” Maybe the students felt like they were being rushed, but she was just cementing their memories. Sometimes they would be in a rush in the future, and getting to their Common Room would definitely be more than a leisurely stroll. Anything they could do fast, the brunette felt, they could do slow, so by teaching them at high-speed, she was also teaching them slowly.

Eventually, she led them to the staircase and began to slow, her grey eyes scanning the steps with interest. Soon enough, she halted, squatting to the ground carefully, weary to not fall down the uneven terrain of the stairs. “Look closely, kids. This diamond-shaped chip is very important. It’s the only indication of Teppenpaw Common Room.”

“Most Common Rooms, I’m sure you know, have passwords,” said Lilac with a twinkle in her eyes, “but ours is different. My dears, you have to dance!” Without further ado, the twenty-seven year old began to click her heels and tap her feet like a maniac. The wall slid to reveal the Teppenpaw Common Room, but she did not enter just yet. “Let me show you that so you can do it later.” She repeated the movements slightly slower--but just slightly--accompanied by a verbal statement of the movement. After the last “shuffle step,” she nodded. “Now you try.”

When she felt that each of the newbies had mastered it--or at least didn’t think they were in danger of being locked out--her plump lips tucked into a smile, and she led them inside. After making their way through a short entry way, the familiar--to her--maroon-and-gold shades of the room astonished her eyes. The room was like a circular dome, and when she stopped walking, she was leaning against the fireplace that made it feel like home.

“Everyone say Privet,” she announced loudly, her greeting pronounced PREEV-yet, “to your new home--that’s Russian for hello!” Deciding it was time for the big reveal, she said, “I am Professor Lilac Crosby, your Head of House, which you probably figured out. I am also the Transfiguration professor. Just so you feel more comfortable with me, I’ll tell you a bit about me. I hail from Russia, but I am half-American. I am twenty-seven years old.” Unlike some women, she really had no problem with telling her age. “I am currently unwed, which is driving my mother crazy.” With a smile and a nod, she added, “There. You know a bit about me, and I can’t wait to get to know you.”

“This is your Common Room. Up that staircase is the boys’ dormitories. Up that one is the girls’ dormitories,” she said with a gesture to each respective staircase. “Though you probably have no intention to do so now, I beseech you not to try to go up the staircase of the opposite gender. It doesn’t work. Don’t try it.” Of course, she knew eventually one of them probably would.

“This,” she added, pointing as she spoke, “is our board. All announcements will be up on there, including Quidditch sign-ups. I’m sure our new captain Tobar Brishen would appreciate new teammates. If you have any more questions or concerns about Quidditch, just ask him or the assistant captain, Kirstenna Melcher.”

“Okay, the curfew is ten o’clock PM. Don’t break it, or you can lose House points. Those are given out and taken away for good and bad behavior, respectively. The House with the most at the end of the year wins a contest, which we usually honor the victor of at the next Opening Feast. Anyway, breakfast begins at six AM every morning. These are your schedules. Should you ever need me--which you probably will sometime--I’ll be right behind that door there.” She motioned to the door. “If anyone needs anything right now, I’m here, though, so don’t be shy. Other wise, welcome to Sonora, and, more specifically, welcome to Teppenpaw!”

Subthreads:

Scared as a Mouse (Lilac) by Addison Regan Thornton

0 Professor Lilac Crosby Tappity-tap-Tepp(enpaw) [HoH speech] 0 Professor Lilac Crosby 1 5

Addison Regan Thornton

January 26, 2011 10:08 PM

Scared as a Mouse (Lilac) by Addison Regan Thornton

Addison sat through the Opening Feast, shaking and sweating with nerves. Yes, she was in the same house as her sister, but she knew that Arista wouldn’t be there with her all the time and she was starting to get truly upset by it all. The larger than average eleven year old sat there, shaking and breathing heavy as the others around her ate the food in front of them. The yellow students around her finished up the food in their plates and she jumped as she heard a loud female voice call the new Teppenpaw first years to her in a sing-song voice.

Addi glanced at her sister, who gave her another thumbs up through the chewing of her food and watched as the other yellow students walked up to her. Only as the last one got to the young half-Russian, did she even get up, through tear-filled eyes and longingly looked at Arista as she followed the others, swallowing her saliva as she walked. The red head followed in body, but her heart and mind was back at home with her mother and sisters. The overweight first year didn’t hear a word that was said as they walked, nor did she think she’d remember where they walked to find anything! Then not only were they walking too fast for her, the Professor started running! She tried to keep up, but her breathing slowed and became labored as she tried her hardest to follow them. She didn’t want to lose them and be by herself!! She was terrified to be with them, but even moreso to be by her lonesome! Thankfully the Professor slowed down, but she still couldn’t keep up with the pack of them.

Wheezing, she finally caught up to the group of them who’d stopped by a wall. She had missed what was said and caught up at just the point their Head of House was showing them a dance. Addi’s eyes opened wide with fear and lack of hope. ‘There is NO WAY I can do this!’ she said, eyes filling to the brim with new tears as she still wheezed, watching the others try. It got to her and she sat down on the ground outside the Common Room and cried.

Now the red-head just wanted to go home even more! She didn’t feel well at all, and she just wanted her mother! Lilac led them inside and she stood up shakily, pulling out her albuterol inhaler and taking a puff. She held her breath and walked in, tears drying on her cheeks. The room she’d walked into was a circular domed one, and the Professor asked them all to say Privet, to which many of the other students did as they were told. Addi stood there and tried to not wheeze. The overweight red-head didn’t want anyone to make a fuss over her asthma, and she figured that would be what would happen if she’d made it known that was what she had. Lilac introduced herself and as she did, the students, she hoped were looking at the adult in front of them and not her, so she pulled out her inhaler and took another puff as she talked. Holding her breath as Lilac showed them which was the boys and girls dorms and she let out her breath in short bursts, hoping to feel better to no avail.

Tearing up as it seemed that she was finished talking, she walked towards her new Head of House nervously and pulled on her robes, looking up at her. The fact that the overweight 11 year old had even gone up to the older woman said something of how scared she was of being there, she just wanted to go home, or at the very least have her sister there with her!

0 Addison Regan Thornton Scared as a Mouse (Lilac) 0 Addison Regan Thornton 0 5

HoH Lilac

January 28, 2011 3:43 PM

Somewhat sharing the feeling by HoH Lilac

When Lilac felt a tug on her robes, she turned to face the source of the tug and was startled at the sight. It was one of her first years, teary-eyed and looking very frightened. “Oh! My! Dear, what’s wrong?” Lilac soothed sweetly. “Come now, let’s get you calmed down, okay?”

Now noticing her panting, the brunette professor led the first year over to a seat. “There now, see? You’re okay.” She wasn’t entirely sure what to do; being that it was her first Head of House speech and tour, she was not expecting this reaction whatsoever. She didn’t know how to handle the situation, which was slightly panicking her, worry in her grey eyes.

“Can you breathe, dear?” Lilac asked. “Just nod or shake your head if you can’t find the words.” Retrospectively, maybe it wasn’t a clever idea to ask all of the questions she had if breathing was strained. Then again, worry had replaced common sense at the present moment, so she was less than concerned with her minor mistakes.

Lilac just hoped the girl would be okay, and quickly. The sight of pain made her stomach turn over. She could hardly stand seeing her suffer. Hopefully, the oxygen that apparently alluded her would return soon. Just to be sure, she added, “Is there anything I could do to help?”

0 HoH Lilac Somewhat sharing the feeling 0 HoH Lilac 0 5

Addison

February 02, 2011 3:41 AM

Reeling... by Addison

Addison could tell already that her new Head of House was going to be someone she could go to, the young woman reminded her very much of her mother in the way that she tried to soothe the scared first year. Addi looked up at her and nodded through her wheezes. She did want to be calm, she hated feeling like this, and being so far from her mother did not help her feeling of helplessness.

Lilac led her to a seat and continued to tell her that she was okay. Addi knew she would be in the end, ‘after all, Arista was here, wasn’t she? But Mom’s not…’ the terrified first year thought to herself as her wheezes got more pronounced as she had been sitting down and Lilac had gotten a little bit closer to her. Her new Head of House asked if she could breathe and the overweight first year looked down into her lap, and then back up at the young woman with a shrug of her shoulders. The redhead’s tears which had been lessening in her eyes came down in a steady stream now, and her sight became cloudy through them. “I- want-” she started, wheezing and sobbing between her words. “my- sister…”

Addison couldn’t believe what was going on. This was so not like her, and it scared her, as she was sure it was going to scare Arista when she got up to Teppenpaw. First off, she was talking to a teacher. Second, she was crying in front of the other kids in her year, which wasn’t like her either. Addison looked up at Lilac and stifled a sob. “And- I- want- my- Mom-” she said, softer, so that only the young woman could hear her.

The overweight eleven year old was having a breakdown over nothing, and she knew it, but Addison was scared, and she wasn’t sure if anything could be done about any of it! Not only had she ran, or tried to, to catch up to the group, but she was scared, and both of those things had set off her asthma and sent her reeling into her emotions.

0 Addison Reeling... 0 Addison 0 5

HoH Lilac

February 10, 2011 8:43 PM

Feeling the reeling by HoH Lilac

The tears steadily flowing down the first year’s face made Lilac feel sick in the pit of her stomach. It was torture to watch the girl be so afraid and upset, and yet it seemed like there was no way for her to help. It just broke her heart to see such misery and feel so helpless in the matter. Was there any way for her to be of service?

“I- want- my- sister…” the poor dear sobbed and wheezed. Flashbacks rang through the twenty-seven year old’s mind. She had been eleven once, a first year, somewhat terrified of everything around. Her experience would have been so different if her own older sister had not been there. Being only three years Jamie’s younger had helped their relationship become what it was.

“And- I- want- my- Mom-” Lilac knew this was impossible. Being of course no replacement for the girl’s mother--and being completely untrained at the art of mothering itself--she attempted to calm her down by wrapping an arm around her shoulder. “You’re okay, dear, just calm down,” she said soothingly. “I’m sure your mother wishes she could be here to help you calm yourself down, but I’m afraid not having her around is something you’ll have to get used to here at school.” Merlin knew how difficult it had been for Lilac herself to adjust; as pushy and annoying as Veronika Crosby could be, it had been a completely shocking experience not having her at arm’s reach for the first time.

“Does your sister go here?” the grey-eyed woman asked softly. “Is she a student of this House? If so, we can bring her to you immediately.” She hated to point it out, but if the sister was not a member of Teppenpaw, there would be no way for her instant arrival. This girl would have to be taken out of the Common Room, which, considering her present state, was easier said than done.

0 HoH Lilac Feeling the reeling 0 HoH Lilac 0 5

Addison Regan

February 13, 2011 1:53 AM

Fear overtakes faith if only for a moment by Addison Regan

The terrified first year couldn’t help the tears that fell down her face like a waterfall. It wasn’t that Addison didn’t want to be there, she’d been looking forward to it for so long after all! She was just not the best person around crowds, and crowds of people the overweight first year didn’t know was even worse! Shaking, sobbing and wheezing, Addi couldn’t help but want Arista! Arista, Amira and her were the inseparables at home, and that was what she needed and wanted right now. If she couldn’t have her own mother, her older sister would have to be a suitable replacement! The red-head knew there was no choice in the matter.

Addi had done it, she’d told her new Head of House what she’d never thought she’d say aloud to anyone! That she had wanted her Mom. The tears fell down in droves and with wracking sobs, Lilac put her arm around her shoulder and told her that she was alright and that she should calm down. The overweight eleven year old knew that Lilac was right, but it was something that was going to be very hard for her to get used to.

Addison nodded when the grey eyed slightly older woman asked if her sister went to school there, then again when she’d asked if Arista was in Tepp. “She’s- a- second- year” Addi said through sobs and hiccups from being so upset. She’d driven herself into the hole she knew that she wouldn’t be able to get out of on her own.

This scared her.

0 Addison Regan Fear overtakes faith if only for a moment 0 Addison Regan 0 5