A much-needed lunch break [Tag Tabitha] on Cascade Hall

Rory Taransay

November 13, 2018 5:23 PM

A much-needed lunch break [Tag Tabitha] by Rory Taransay

Rory’s attempt at achieving a seated posture at the staff table could be classified more as a somewhat undignified collapse than the normal process of sitting down. It was lunchtime on a weekday, and Rory was still recovering from the beginners’ class from which he had only just escaped. He sighed in relief at being free, and then adjusted his posture so he wasn’t quite so slumped. There was probably something about setting a good example to the students in his contract, and he didn’t want to encourage poor table manners or bad backs.

Slowly, Rory started re-engaging with his surroundings. At first, this was simply to search for nourishment with which to sustain his fading body, but he soon became aware of Tabitha Hawthorne regarding him with what could only be described as an amused smirk.

“Never introduce overenthusiastic first and second years to puffskeins,” he offered in his defence, laughing as he gave this most important piece of advice. Goodness knows it was something he could have done with before today.

The lesson had been seemingly well-received. Rory didn’t find puffskeins particularly interesting – they didn’t really do anything, other than hum and maintain some questionable eating habits – but the young students seemed to disagree with him on that front. He supposed there had to be a reason why puffskeins were popular pets, but he hadn’t properly prepared himself for a class full of excited 11, 12, and 13 year olds. Keeping an eye on everyone had been hard enough, as he’d managed to procure quite a large number of the creatures, but the unexpected great escape that had occurred at the end of the lesson due to a poorly fastened cage had left him both late for lunch and exhausted. Give him dragons any day.

“How’re your lessons going?” he asked, not actually wanting Tabitha to have had any problems but half-hoping that she’d had some similarly harrowing experience. He was all for equality, especially if it meant that he wasn’t the only professor whose classes ended in chaos.

“Hey, you’re pretty much an old hand now,” he added, realising that Tabitha had actually been teaching for quite a while. It was definitely becoming less weird to see his old school pal teaching at Sonora with him. “We ought to celebrate your first full year of teaching once the term finally ends!”

9 Rory Taransay A much-needed lunch break [Tag Tabitha] 33 Rory Taransay 1 5

Tabitha Hawthorne

November 13, 2018 5:54 PM

Here, have some tea - it's the British way. by Tabitha Hawthorne

Tabitha had been going through the yellowing pages in one of her old journals, trying to come up with some ideas for lessons later in the week. There were many interesting dark creatures documented in the leather-bound book but many of them were classed as 'wizard killers' and she was sure that Selina would have many, many words to say about Tabitha putting her students at risk of being eaten if she brought any in. Yet, theory lessons didn't hold the same excitement and interest as the real thing.

She'd been steadily making her way through a sandwich when Rory had turned up and she'd been unable to hide her smirk as she watched him flop into his chair, looking rather knackered and in dire need of tea. Then he mentioned puffskeins and everything made sense. The thought of having to deal with a class of Beginners as well as the fluffy, humming things made Tabitha shudder. The thought of the creatures in general made her grimace as they were known to stick their long pink tongues up the noses of unsuspecting sleeping wizards. Her own nose felt rather strange as she sat there thinking about it.

"You have my complete sympathy," she told her fellow Brit, closing her book. She reached for the pot of tea just in front of her, refilling her own cup before offering to fill Rory's. "Tea?"

"Lessons are going well, I think," she answered him after setting the pot down and leaning back in her chair. "Though, some words of advice: if you ever find yourself teaching Legilimency, do not use it on the students. While it's good that my Advanced class know what an attack by a Legillimens feels like, I saw some very disturbing things..."

She shuddered and pulled a disgusted face, remembering the disturbing scene in one Kyte Collindale's mind. She still hadn't been able to look at the boy properly since. She shook her head and reached for her cup of tea, banishing the thoughts from her mind. She wanted her lunch to stay exactly where it was.

"Almost a year..." she murmured, slightly stunned. So much had happened and more than she had expected, her relationship with Mary very near the top of that list. "I'm still getting used to being called 'Professor Hawthorne'."

At his suggestion, she laughed. "Oh, absolutely and definitely as soon as term ends. From the sounds of things, we're both going to need a drink and I don't just mean tea..."

20 Tabitha Hawthorne Here, have some tea - it's the British way. 1417 Tabitha Hawthorne 0 5

Rory

November 13, 2018 6:25 PM

You're my hero! by Rory

“Finally, someone who understands,” was Rory’s grateful response to the offer of tea. He held out his cup in supplication, having decided that Tabitha was possibly the most wonderful person ever. Call him overly British, but tea was most definitely the answer to his current problems.

More disturbing was Tabitha’s mysterious Legilimency warning. “I kind of want to ask but feel like I’d definitely regret that,” he replied, raising his eyebrows at the idea of having the guts to venture into the minds of teenagers. Having been one once upon a time – it felt like far too many years ago – he could probably hazard a guess at the sort of things she’d seen, but just the very thought of it gave him enough insight to be sure that he’d regret further speculation. He didn’t want to know the kinds of grim thoughts his students were likely to have. No, he was going to pretend that all of them had the innocent minds that only the first years probably had.

“Oh, trust me, that never feels normal,” he laughed. “It feels like only yesterday that we were students in Hogwarts. Being called Professor just makes me feel old and grey!”

Oh good, Tabs Hawthorne hadn’t changed too much from the fellow student he’d once known, then! Rory had fond memories of wild Gryffindor parties, usually following some Quidditch victory. Tabitha had partied with the best of them, and it seemed as if the good old traditions would soon be resurrected. Sonora didn’t know what was going to hit it!

For a moment he was reminded of the pub trips he’d had with Amelle and some of the other teachers, back in the old days when he’d been new at Sonora. They’d been great fun, a chance to escape the school for a little bit and – most importantly – to spend a relaxed evening with friends, and with his girlfriend. He wondered what Amelle would have made of Tabitha. But that wasn’t relevant now, as Amelle had left him, and he mentally shook off the bittersweet memories. It was better to focus on the here and now.

“Oh, I’m sure we can rustle up something a little stronger than tea,” he promised. “Do you think Mary would be up for celebrating too? After all, it’ll be the end of her first year too. In fact, we should make a proper staff party of it!”

Rory was aware that Tabitha was pretty friendly with Mary, enough that she’d probably know the other professor’s opinions on parties. He wasn’t quite sure exactly what was going down between them, due to some oddities such as abrupt feast departures yet identical holiday destinations, but you wouldn’t spend lots of time with someone you didn’t like. Rory made a mental note to get to know Mary better too. Of course, both being members of the same small group of staff meant that the two weren’t exactly unfamiliar, but it was always nice to have close friends where you worked, especially when you worked at a boarding school.

9 Rory You're my hero! 33 Rory 0 5

Tabitha

November 14, 2018 6:04 PM

I shall don a cape and supply tea to all! by Tabitha

"Yes, I thought I saw a few grey hairs!" she teased the man lightly, a small chuckle following her statement as she reached for a rather delicious looking slice of lemon meringue pie that had been sitting on a platter in front of her and tempting her since the beginning of lunch. She smiled fondly at the memories of her time in Hogwarts. It did indeed only feel like yesterday, as Rory had said. "I do miss that castle..." she murmured before a wicked grin crossed her face. "And battering the Slytherins at Quidditch."

She blinked, unable to hide her look of surprise as Rory asked if Mary would be interested in joining them. A moment of panic shot through her, wondering if Rory knew more about her relationship with the Potions professor before she schooled her expression, deciding that it was highly unlikely. The pair had been discreet, hadn't they?

After another moment of careful consideration, the Defence professor decided that it wouldn't be a tragedy if Rory did know but she knew that Mary hadn't wanted it shouted from the rooftops. "I think Mary would love that," she smiled, nodding. Mary was just so kind and lovely that it wouldn't surprise Tabitha if the woman already had plans for an end-of-year staff party in the making. "And a party sounds great! I may or may not have a bottle or two of firewhiskey hiding in my quarters."

She gave the man a sly wink before laughing. It was nice to joke with a friend and leave thoughts of lessons and students to one side for a short while. It was also a good opportunity to get reacquainted with the man that she called a friend and definitely wanted to take the chance to get to know him better. "So, come on... What did you do after Hogwarts?"

20 Tabitha I shall don a cape and supply tea to all! 1417 Tabitha 0 5

Rory

November 18, 2018 1:37 PM

It might give people a weird impression of Brits, but hey-ho by Rory

Rory clutched his head in mock-panic as Tabitha claimed to have seen a few grey hairs. Fingers crossed, he had a few more years to go until that happened! He grinned too as Tabitha mentioned the times they’d thrashed the Slytherins at Quidditch. It had always felt good to win, and Rory had especially enjoyed beating Slytherin. That was probably because two of his brothers had been sorted into Slytherin, and he’d always enjoyed joking about how his school house was the better one when the family had been reunited in the holidays.

He caught Tabitha’s brief moment of surprise as he mentioned Mary. He wasn’t sure why, but there was definitely something going on there. He didn’t want to pry, but equally he made note to ask further questions if an opportunity presented itself.

He laughed as Tabitha confessed to potentially having a firewhiskey stash in her room. Really, it was ridiculous that they hadn’t had a proper party yet! Working as teachers didn’t mean that they had to behave perfectly when off duty and in staff quarters, right? Not that he’d be entirely irresponsible – he was aware that, even when off-duty, something could happen that meant he was needed, and he wanted to always be there for his students.

“Gosh, that’s a long period of time to cover,” he laughed. “So, a couple of months after I graduated I got a job as an assistant to Matthias, a magizoologist, and I travelled with him for about 8 years. We went pretty much everywhere, all around the world, studying a huge range of creatures. It was such a brilliant time. Then he had a bit of a close call with a dragon, which ended his gallivanting. I wasn’t sure what to do afterwards, but Quinn – he’s one of my brothers, you wouldn’t have been at Hogwarts with him – had moved to America by then, and he suggested I try settling down a bit. Which somehow led to me getting the job here.”

Despite covering a bit over a decade, Rory’s job résumé was actually rather short. Some might say working as an assistant for 8 years was a bit silly, but Rory had never been especially career-driven, and the opportunity to just travel round the world, learning about so many different species and seeing the creatures in their natural habitats, had been to amazing to just give up to find a higher level job. Besides, after a few months his relationship with Matthias had gone from employer-employee to just that of two friends having the best of adventures together. Matthias had been a wonderful friend and mentor, and Rory was still in touch with him now.

“What about you?” he asked, coming back to the present and to the woman sitting next to him. “Tell me what exactly you’ve been up to for all these years? I want to hear all about those scrapes with dangerous beasts you mentioned before, and everything else!”

9 Rory It might give people a weird impression of Brits, but hey-ho 33 Rory 0 5

Tabitha Hawthorne

November 18, 2018 3:24 PM

I pretty sure they already have a weird impression of us. by Tabitha Hawthorne

Tabitha was surprised at the similarities between herself and Rory - it was almost absurd. It was nice, however, to be talking with someone who understood the exhilaration and excitement that could be found in exploring the world and the creatures that roamed it. JJ had never shared quite her exuberance and she had only travelled with Mary once and that hadn't been for exploring - that had been a Christmas holiday. Not that it hadn't been enjoyable but there was a big difference between a holiday and hunting for wild beasts and living off the land.

She smiled, both of her hands clasped around her cup of tea. It was nice to hear the happiness in Rory's voice as he talked about his travels, most notably when he talked about Matthias. It sounded like they were close and Tabitha thought it nice that, despite Rory having been an assistant, the two had obviously struck up a friendship. It made her almost jealous. Her travels had led her to make friendships all over the world (Darius and Evangeline came to the front of her mind) and she had many contacts - one of which she'd used to help Mary find a Christmas present for one of her students, Dorian Montoir. However, the close relationship that she'd had with JJ had been the one that had shattered like glass and it was now irreparable. Towards the end, their relationship had become unhealthy and toxic and Tabitha didn't want anything to do with the man anymore. It didn't mean that she didn't feel some sort of sadness for the way it had ended.

Rory turned the question and shot it back to her, which was only fair and she let out a breath, wondering where to begin. "Well, after graduating, I didn't really know what to do with myself. My parents wanted me to find some sort of job in the ministry," she shuddered, a look of revulsion on her face. "But I knew I wouldn't be able to work in a stuffy office and I wasn't particularly interested in the auror program. I got very bored and wanted to do something, anything. I had always loved DADA and magical creatures and thought some practical experience would serve me well - what else was I to do than to travel the world?"

A smirk pulled at the corner of her lips. "I can tell you that my parents weren't happy about that particular decision. I went travelling with my ex, John-Joseph Anderson," she hesitated, searching Rory's face for any signs of recognition. A part of her hoped that he wouldn't know who JJ was as he hadn't been involved in Quidditch and had also been in the same year as herself. Having said that, chances were pretty high that Rory would've at least heard the name, or perhaps know JJ's older brother, Adrian. However, Adrian had been the very definition of a stuck-up Pureblood and Rory didn't seem liked he would've socialised with anybody like that - he was far too nice. Then again, who was she to judge?

She had another gulp of tea, trying to slow her thoughts that were getting slowly out of control. She should probably move it along. "We visited everywhere - starting with England, covering Europe, Asia and Africa, everywhere," she looked up with a grimace. "I'm sure you'll know this but never visit Burkina Faso without some snake antivenom. Those Runespoors are vicious... and bitey."

She screwed up her face, remembering a very close call with a particularly nasty Runespoor. JJ had accidentally fallen onto one of its eggs which had spelled disaster from the start. It was a miracle that neither she or JJ had been eaten. She shook her head, returning to the present. "I documented everything in journals," she gestured to the one next to her on the table before pushing it towards him, an open invitation to go through it if he was interested - she knew that she'd be interested to get his thoughts on her notes and sketches that filled the pages.

"I ended up here in America in the end and... sort of got stuck," Tabitha didn't feel the need to mention that she'd been stranded by JJ leaving. "I applied to Sonora on a whim and here I am! I wasn't sure about teaching at first... but it's been quite the adventure, all on its own."

A soft smile danced on her lips now, unable to stop her thoughts turning to Mary and the excitement that the Potions professor had brought with her. Tabitha wasn't fussed about people knowing about their relationship but she had to admit that there was something deliciously tantalising about keeping such a secret. Yes, becoming Professor Hawthorne certainly had become its own adventure. Her eyes met Rory's and her smile adopted an amused quality. It was time for a very important question.

"So, in all of your travels, what was your favourite creature? I somehow doubt the answer's 'puffskeins'."

20 Tabitha Hawthorne I pretty sure they already have a weird impression of us. 1417 Tabitha Hawthorne 0 5

Rory

November 20, 2018 6:27 PM

Let's be honest, they're probably not far off the truth! by Rory

Rory more than sympathised with Tabitha’s look of revulsion. The idea of working in an office was horrible. Day in, day out, stuck at a desk, inside? No, thank you! Admittedly his current job did involve time spent in classrooms, and at a desk facing the chore that was marking, but he still got to spend many of his days outside, enjoying the looks on his students’ faces as he introduced them to a new magical creature. He also got nice long holidays, which more than made up for the marking by giving him the opportunity to go on long and exotic expeditions.

The name John-Joseph Anderson was certainly a blast from the past. John-Joseph’s older brother, Adrian, had been in Rory’s year at Hogwarts, and there had always been a certain amount of animosity between the two. The Taransay family had, for centuries, been a respected Scottish pureblood family. However, their established reputation had become somewhat controversial in the previous generation, when Rory’s father had thrown tradition to the winds and married a muggleborn. Rory was unconcerned about the loss of standing that his mother’s blood status had given him, but Adrian hadn’t been able to see past it. This had led to several detentions for both boys, and a mutual dislike. Despite not having really known John-Joseph, Rory assumed that he hadn’t been entirely unlike his brother. Hearing Tabitha describe JJ as an ex was therefore both relieving and a little concerning.

"I remember John-Joseph's brother, Adrian," he said, with a wry grin. "We weren't exactly the best of friends back at Hogwarts. Presumably his brother was slightly better company, then?"

Rory laughed at Tabitha’s advice regarding Burkina Faso. “I don’t know, I’ve met some very friendly runespoors in my life,” he returned. “I’m especially fond of the right head. It always seems to be the most charming, don’t you think?”

As soon as Tabitha mentioned her journals, Rory was most definitely interested. Other people’s journals were always a great source of knowledge. Everyone had their own ways of looking at things, and reading other people’s notes on creatures was often the way to make links that one might otherwise have missed. After all, there was definitely truth in the idea that two heads were better than one. It was hard to resist the temptation to end the conversation and look through them there and then, but Rory did want to hear the rest of Tabitha’s story. It was a long way from Burkina Faso to the USA!

He raised an eyebrow at the vague ending to her story – how did one get stuck in America, exactly? – but was distracted firstly by her intriguing smile at the idea of Sonora being an adventure in itself, and then by a Very Important Question. What was his favourite creature?

“Oh gosh, that’s possibly the hardest question ever,” he replied, stalling for time somewhat. There were so many fascinating animals to choose from, all of them serious contenders for a wide range of reasons. There were nundus (the subject of his first book, and an impressively dangerous species), dragons (every child’s favourite animal), hippocampi (any creature with eggs called tadfoals had to be in the running for favourite) and jarveys (you either loved or hated ‘conversing’ with them). He had a soft spot for augureys, due to having a pet augurey named Janet, and was also fond of chupacabras. His affection for chupacabras was due to Tòmas, an OAP of a chupacabra that Rory had found in a run-down Puerto Rican pet shop, de-clawed, de-toothed, and looking rather sorry for himself. Rory had immediately bought him, nursed him back to health, named him after his older brother (Tòmas Taransay had not seen this as a compliment), and left Tòmas the Chupacabra in luxurious retirement in Scotland. Una Taransay, Rory’s mother, had grown quite attached to the grumpy old animal.

However, there was one species that Rory had to admit to preferring over all others. He’d put a lot of time and effort into protecting them, as they definitely didn’t mix well with muggles, and the authorities didn’t always put proper value on creatures’ lives.

“I’m going to have to go with kelpies,” he admitted, smiling. “But don’t tell Janet, it’ll hurt her feelings! There’s just something so magnificent and free about them, and although they’re not as exotic as some creatures, there’s something special about how they’re often found in an area I’m very familiar with. I’m actually going to be spending the summer helping establish a kelpie reserve not far from where my family live in Scotland. It’ll be great to establish a protected area in which they can thrive, without having the Ministry out for their blood just because a muggle had the misfortune to come across one.”

“You’ve got to try and choose your favourite animal now,” Rory warned Tabitha, a cheeky grin on his face as he got his own back. He refused to be the only one answering such hard questions!

9 Rory Let's be honest, they're probably not far off the truth! 33 Rory 0 5

Tabitha

November 23, 2018 11:53 PM

With me and you as representives... by Tabitha

Tabitha gave Rory a rueful smile. JJ had, for a very long time, been a lot more than just 'slightly better company' than his older brother. It was, admittedly, not a particularly difficult feat given that Adrian was the definition of complete and utter pompous git. As the eldest son of three and the heir to the Anderson fortune, he had been a self-entitled brat and had a strong belief that anybody who wasn't rich and Pureblood was beneath him. Tabitha hadn't ranked very high in his approval because despite the fact that her family was wealthy, they were only half-blood and Adrian had, on many occasions, tried to persuade JJ to ditch her.

"JJ is certainly more likeable than Adrian," she admitted. The statement was true because he was and it was probably unfair to colour somebody's view of the man with her own thoughts on him - that JJ was actually far less likeable than he used to be.

Her mood lifted when Rory made the joke about Runespoors. Truthfully, the right head was, in Tabitha's opinion, the most vicious of the three. As the 'thinker', it was critical of its other two heads and was regularly irritably hissing. It was common to see the three-headed snakes missing their right head as the other two eventually bit it off after getting sick of the criticisms. A younger Tabitha used to compare herself and her parents to a Runespoor - with her father being the left head, which was the 'planner' and her mother being the right. Tabitha was the middle head, the 'dreamer'. The middle head would frequently remain still for days, lost in visions and imaginations and a younger Tabitha had sympathised with it. She too, had often dreamt of a different life.

"Oh, kelpies," Tabitha sighed, smiling. "It sounds like a wonderful idea to set up a reserve for them in Scotland. Of course, Nessie herself is the largest kelpie in the world and she's beautiful. I had the privilege of meeting her when swimming in Loch Ness. If you need any help, I'd be more than happy to join you."

It was perhaps a bit early to commit to something like that, given that she hadn't yet thought of somewhere to take Mary. On the other hand, given Mary's kind and caring nature, she probably wouldn't mind if they spent some time in Scotland. There was also the other thought that Tabitha was going to have to return to the UK eventually. Her parents were due a visit.

The question on favourite creature was no less difficult to Tabitha, though for a different reason. Before her and Mary's trip to Greece, her instant answer would've been dragons. It was perhaps a rather childish answer but there was just something about the beasts. Despite their ferocity and size, they were still vulnerable and needed to be protected from poachers, looking to skin them for dragon hide, harvest their heartstrings for wand cores and siphon their blood for all of its various uses. Even their teeth were extracted to make jewellery or to use as a trophy. And Tabitha would never forget about dragon's eggs being traded on the black market.

Now, however, she had Ailuros in her life and the small furball both amused her and warmed her heart. Tabitha frequently liked entertaining the kneazle by letting harmless sparks fly off the end of her wand and watching the kitten try to catch them between her little paws. The little creature was already fiercely loyal and protective of both of her owners, spending her time with either Tabitha or Mary. At the moment, Tabitha assumed that Ailuros was with Mary.

"I'm torn," she admitted in the end. "I love dragons, particularly the Antipodean Opaleye? I do have a big soft spot for kneazles though," she smiled. "I have one, called Ailuros. You might have seen her about the school. She's from Greece and is named for the Greek Goddess of cats. Rather fitting, don't you think?"

20 Tabitha With me and you as representives... 1417 Tabitha 0 5