Welcoming Speech on Crotalus Commons

Professor Marlowe

June 27, 2006 12:00 PM

Welcoming Speech by Professor Marlowe

Selina had made a point of memorizing the route between the Cascade Hall and the Crotalus Commons that she planned to take the first years as soon as possible after receiving notice of her promotion. Crotali, from what she had seen and heard, attached a high degree of importance to appearances and propriety. The chances of them respecting a Head of House who got them lost on the first night seemed highly unlikely, and having them dismiss her from the word ‘go’ seemed like a highly undesirable state of affairs. She straightened her robes for perhaps the fourth time and spoke over her shoulder to the students behind her. “Keep up, now. We don’t want anyone getting lost.” She wouldn’t have said that to a customer, and she wasn’t as familiar with where she was going here as she had been back at the pharmacy, but she was finding the similarity to helping a customer find something more comforting than she would have admitted aloud.

She grimaced faintly as the Crotalus entrance portal came into view, but, fortunately, the students could see nothing but her back. The eternally decomposing House guardian said something in what Selina could only assume was German and began glaring menacingly at the nearest first year. “This,” she said crisply, the British half of her accent coming through as it did whenever she was thrown into a formal situation, “is Günter der Zombie – or rather, what’s left of him. Behind his portrait is the Crotalus common room. You need only speak the password, and the door will open.” She gave pulling off a stern, commanding look her best effort, and thought it turned out all right. “No one outside of Crotalus is to ever be informed of what Günter hides or what the password is. Actions have penalties, and the penalty for that is particularly stiff. Understand?” She turned to Günter, only just managing not to flinch at the gurgling groan she got in return. The zombie’s painter and the person who deemed his portrait an appropriate guardian for Crotalus had to have both been extremely morbid. “Kaiser.” The painting swang open, revealing the entranceway hidden behind it. When the last one was through, she entered the common room herself, allowing the portrait to swing shut behind her.

The contrast between the red and silver that dominated the decor was striking, if not a little overwhelming. The rattlesnake motifs found here and there didn’t add to the already limited impression of welcome, but it was still, from an objective point of view, a comfortable space to live in. The temperature was pleasant, neither hot nor cold, the chairs well-padded, and the sofas deep. “This,” she said again, now beginning to make her way back towards the front of the group, “is the Crotalus common room, your home for the next seven years. I’m Professor Marlowe, Crotalus Head of House and Transfiguration teacher.” She was at the front, now, against the light of what she suspected was a cold fire. Great aid in cutting a dramatic figure, if one cared to. Pointing to the appropriate locations, she carried on. “Boys dormitories are up that way, girls the other. Attempting to enter the wrong set of dormitories results in falling through the floors to the common room, so I’d advise against trying it out if you care for your dignity or the health of your spinal cord. That’s the notice board there beside the portrait door. Any special announcements about classes, Quidditch, or the password changing will be posted there ahead of time, so checking it on a regular basis might be a good idea. This door leads to my office. If you happen to need something and I’m not in, sign your name on the clipboard there beside it and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.”

She was forgetting something. She knew that she was forgetting something. The problem with knowing that she had forgotten something was usually remaining unable to remember it. Fortunately, a desire not to make a fool out of herself prevailed over the normality of being unable to recall what had been forgotten. “Curfew is at ten, and it’s detention if you get caught breaking it. Classes begin early tomorrow morning, so unless anyone has any questions, you’d best all be off to bed.”\n\n

0 Professor Marlowe Welcoming Speech 0 Professor Marlowe 1 5

Jordanna Howard

July 12, 2006 6:13 PM

A perfectly innocent question by Jordanna Howard

With some last minute primping of her loose blond hair and royal blue robes (she hoped the new teacher wasn’t a stickler to the uniforms- besides, there weren’t even any classes today) Jordanna deemed herself ready to speak to the new head of house.

Making her way to the front of the group, the thirteen year-old decided she liked what she heard. Basic speech really, but she seemed to find dignity important, which was a whole step up from Dione. And she was professor in transfiguration. Getting on the good side of a subject you weren’t very good at was always a good thing.

She waited a few seconds after Professor Marlowe’s speech before making her first impression; it wasn’t polite to just jump into conversation after all.

“Good evening Professor Marlowe, my name is Jordanna Howard, and I’m a third year,” she introduced herself, partly to be polite, partly to see the reaction to the Howard name. Since they had been gone all of last year, she wanted to know if anyone had gotten suspicious of the normally respectable and fairly well-known Howard name. Then the gray-eyed girl could assess what kind of restoration to her reputation would need to be done.

“I just wanted to let you know that I- Catherine Raines, and I, I mean,” she corrected herself quickly, not making any gestures to Catherine as it was rude to point, and Catherine could identify herself, “Would like to discuss our plans with you to organize a social event to welcome the first and second years into the Crotalus family,” she said with a smile. Yes, that sounded perfectly polite and kindly to her, “And would like to schedule an appointment with you as soon as possible, please.”

She went over her words again just to make sure that she hadn’t forgotten to be polite or say anything important. No, she thought she did pretty well. With that, Jordanna took a step back so that she was no longer separated from the rest of the bunch, very much interested in how Professor Marlowe would reply.\n\n

0 Jordanna Howard A perfectly innocent question 65 Jordanna Howard 0 5

Professor Marlowe

July 20, 2006 11:59 PM

A perfectly suspicious answer by Professor Marlowe

She was two seconds away from congratulating herself on a speech well done because of the lack of questions when a blond in blue, taller than the first years, stepped forward and introduced herself. Selina knew the Howards were purebloods, but nothing else except for that she hadn't taught any to date. She nodded politely, the way her father approved of, to show that she recognized the girl's introduction, then waited for her to carry on.

The name of Jordanna Howard was unfamiliar, but Catherine Raines was a different story. Raines had been in her classes the year before. Selina nodded to her, too, then studied Miss Howard, trying to work out her motives. The whole thing smelled like a pureblood social gathering to her, if only because Miss Raines was associated with it. The sort of elitist, holier-than-thou nonsense she'd spent half her life rebelling against. Unfortunately, there was nothing illegal about being a stuck-up prig, and there was nothing against the rules that she could recall about a well-mannered party of sorts.

"I don't see a reason why you shouldn't be allowed," she said, trying for mildness. "So long as everyone - " that word got a little extra emphasis; she knew there was at least two half-bloods and one Muggleborn in the House - "is invited, of course. Details will need to be worked out beforehand, of course." She did a quick mental review of her schedule. "You and Miss Raines may speak with me in my office on Friday before dinner, Miss Howard." What a lovely occasion to look forward to.

Somewhere, dead or not, having known about her existence before his death or not, Maximilian Marlowe was laughing at her.

At least they had some restraint, if they were Crotali. They would, in all probability, leave the common room standing. Purebloods were often fastidious like that, and girls were supposed to favor psychological warfare, whatever that meant. Psychology had been a passing interest when she was in college, discarded within a few weeks. "Are there any other questions?" \n\n

0 Professor Marlowe A perfectly suspicious answer 0 Professor Marlowe 0 5