Post by Trevor Williams on Mar 20, 2012 19:49:11 GMT -8
Jamie Carter = Allie
Brian Carter = Me due to some unfortunate circumstances with the original author.
Nikki Carter = Allie & me
Evie Winslow = Summer
Casey Winslow = Me
Julian Winslow = Summer & me
Serena Riley = Layni (unrelated to Casey or Evie)
Elanor Godfrey = Me
"Trey Hunter" = Me
You'll have to forgive our old bad habits. The post does gather some humor. =p
Sa, Aug. 19, 2000
Jamie pushed open the door of the foyer and led the first years up the steps. She stopped otuside the great hall doors and began her little speech. "In a few moments, you will come inside and be sorted. Your house will be like your family, you will sleep with them, eat with them, and study with them. The four houses are named after our four foundrs. Gryffindor after Godric Gryffindor, Hufflepuff after Helga Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw after Rowena Ravenclaw, and last but not least, Slytherin after Salazar Sytherin. I will ask for you to wait here quietly while everything is prepared. Thank you."
Jamie slipped through the doors quickly and leaned against the wall, head against it for a few moments. That had to be one of the most challenging thing ever. She walked over to the sorting hat and adjusted it on the stool, looking up at the other professors with a nervous smile.
Brian walked past her, Nicole in his arms. He'd not been able to find anyone to watch her for the feast, so here she was, in his arms. He paused in his step, saying to Nicole, 'Wanna go see mummy?'
'Ma!' Nicole said excitedly, looking over her father's shoulder at Jamie and pointing, reaching out.
Brian chuckled softly and turned, holding on tightly to Nicole as she tried to climb over his shoulder to try to get to mommy. He walked over to Jamie, a grin on his face, pointing to Nikki and rolling his eyes. Nikki turned her head and looked at her mummy, reaching her arms out. 'Someone wanted to see you before the feast.'
Jamie laughed and took her daughter gently, balancing her on her hip. "Have you been a good girl for daddy?"
"Ya!" Nikki said with a foolish little grin. Jamie looked up at Brian and smirked, raising a brow. "What have you done to our daughter? She's saying she's been...good!"
'Did you expect her to say anything else? She is my daughter after all,' he replied with an 'evil' smirk. 'But no, she's been pretty good.'
Nicole looked over at her dad. 'What dat suppose't mean?'
Brian bit his lip to hold back his smile at her cute little voice. 'Oh, you'll know when you're older,' he told her.
"She's my daughter too...obviously, quite a god little liar like I was fourth year and below." Jamie said with a smirk and planted a kiss on Nikki's forehead. She gave her a tight squeeze then handed her back to Brian. "Mommy'll be back in a bit, go with daddy and watch all the scared little kids. Doesn't that sound fun?"
Brian took his daughter back. 'And I was a pretty good liar myself...and a sneak, which I am convinced this one must've picked up, seeing as she gets away with nearly everything.'
Nikki laughed at her mummy. 'Me scare dem?' she asked.
Brian turned his head, letting out a small chuckle at Nikki and then turning back and raising a brow at Jamie.
"Nope, that's my job today." Jamie said with a grin. "Maybe someday you will...heck you may get a chance to scare them a million times oevr this year!"
'Ooo!' she said in a squeaky voice which made Brian laugh again.
'Just so long as she doesn't pick up some things from...hey, she could be rather useful. The girls all playing with her and gossiping...we could learn anything and everything we want from her even if they make her promise not to tell.'
He laughed at the look Nikki gave him. 'Can't.'
'Can too.'
'Can not!'
'Yes, I can, Princess,' he replied, shifting her in his arms and reaching out his now free hand, saying, 'Tickle, tickle.'
Nikki laughed and then raised her tiny hands, moving her fingers together and apart and heading them for his neck, saying, 'Ticka, ticka.'
Jamie giggled as she watched her two loved ones and composed herself, walking out the door again. "Alright students, follow me in a straight line."
The students followed her nervously down the tables and stopped. Jamie went to the front of the great ahll enxt to the stool where the sorting hat sat. She cleared her throat and called out. "Anderson, Heather."
Brian made his way over to his spot at the Professor's table, getting a lot of 'aww's from the girls at the tables he passed. He finally sat down, sitting Nikki down in his lap. 'Watch the hat,' he said, knowing she'd never seen it. The other years he'd managed to find someone to watch her.
Nikki's eyes widened and she clapped when everyone else did as the hat yelled out, 'Slytherin!'
'Daddy, why it do dat?' she asked, bright eyes on the hat, filled with wonder.
'It's supposed to. It tells the kids which table to go to,' he said, not expecting her to understand.
She didn't. 'Ok,' she said, watching the hat be placed on another student's head and shouting out. 'Gryffindor.' Again she clapped her cute little hands.
Jamie placed a hat on her sister Natalie's daughter, Acandra, and watched it sink oevr her eyes. After a bit the hat called out. "Ravenclaw!"
"Good luck, Acandra." Jamie whispered and watched her niece walk over to the Ravenclaw table then put the hat on another student's head. "Hufflepuff!"
On and on it went until all the students were sorted and took their seats. Jamie walked to the professor's table and took her seat next to Brian. Food filled the tables, surprising the first years, but not the others. It was a usual thing now. Jamie filled her plate and smiled over at Brian and Nikki. She took Nikki onto her lap and coaxed her to eat some soft turkey. "Yum, yum, Nikki. Open wide."
Brian was glad his seat was beside hers. 'So, you like the talking hat, Nikki?'
She nodded and giggled but that bright smile disappeared when Jamie tried to get her to eat the turkey. A firm, 'No!' resounded.
Brian nearly laughed and sighed. to keep from it. 'Please, Nikki?' he asked, making a puppy dog face that made Nikki laugh and pinch his cheek like her Grandma Sabrina had done to her on many occassions.
'Oh, you too cu'e, bunny!' she said, imitating her grandma.
Brian smirked and pulled his face away, taking a bite of his own turkey. 'Yum, yum, Nikki. Sure you don't want some?' he asked, making it look as though the turkey was the most delicious thing in the world.
Casey sat at his spot, looking around for Evie and Jules if he was coming, too. He let out a sigh. Even though McGonagall had been gone for three years and Jamie deputy headmistress for three years, it was still hard to get used to. He didn't know why they'd chosen her, but he wouldn't complain about it. He glanced over and saw Brian, Jamie, and Nicole. He had to admit they seemed to be getting along better than he figured, and Brian with kids...he'd never imagined that, as much of a prankster as the guy used to be. He couldn't wait to see if Nicole would end up like that when she entered the school.
A small brown haired boy came running into the Great hall with Evie chasing after, Julian was laughing and he gave a shriek of laughter as Evie caught him and scooped him up.
"Gotcha!" she said happily, as she began tickling him. Julian laughed and gave a drawn out "mom'. Evie smiled and set him down and took his tiny hand in hers and the two made there way to the head table
"Go see daddy," Evie told her son as Julian let go of her hand and ran over to Casey, holding up his arms, closing and opening his tiny hands.
"Julian want up."
Casey smiled as he heard Julian yell out 'mum' and waited for him to come running over, which he did after a few moments, holding up hi shands and asking to be held. He leaned over and picked him up, sitting him on his lap. "Hey there, boy," he said with a smile. "Where's your mum?"
Julian shrugged.
Casey let out a small chuckle. "Lot of help that is, eh?"
"Yeah," Jules replied, with a smile, watching as the first years came in with Jamie.
Evie walked up a few moments after and stood behind Casey. She placed her hands on his shoulders and bent down giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Looking for me?" she smiled and sat in the chair beside him.
He nodded, looking up at her and then over when she sat down. "Yeah, just wanted to make sure he didn't manage to run off on his own again."
Julian reached forward for the table where there was silverware waiting for when the food was going to appear.
"Nah, he had a little bit of extra energy so we played tag," she said ruffling Julian's hair and moving the sliverware up a bit so he couldn't reach it.
Julian's hand went to his head and he looked at his mom with a giggle. "Mum!" he moaned and Casey laughed.
"Hey, bud, that's why daddy doesn't like haircuts," he told his son with a smirk to his wife. He didn't get why girls always wanted to touch a guy's hair. It was like a magnetic force or something.
Evie stuck out her tongue at Casey.
"Hey! How come mummy can do that and I can't?" Julian asked watching Evie do something he normally would get in trouble for.
"Because mummy's never been one to listen to the rules," he answered, looking down from Evie to his son.
"Can't I be like mummy?" Julian asked innocently.
Casey held back a laugh, giving Evie a small glare and then looked at his son. "Aren't you a smart one? I'm afraid not, unless you want to get into a lot of trouble, and you know what that means, don't you?"
"Yeah," Julian said with a sigh, and Evie bit her lip not to laugh. "I wasn't that bad," she said giving him a playful push on the shoulder.
Casey smirked and sighed. "Really? You don't call corrupting an innocent, stick-to-the-rules Ravenclaw boy being bad?" he asked teasingly.
"I'd call it a minor adjustment." She smirked and Julian sat there impatiently crossing his arms over his chest.
"I'm hungry...daddy whens the food coming?" he asked looking up at Casey.
Casey rolled his eyes at Evie and shrugged when Julian asked his question. "Soon, I hope," he told him, his gaze moving to the sorting ceremony. It seemed to be near finished, and his guess was right, as the last kid sat down and got sorted into Ravenclaw. Then, Jamie gave her few words and the food appeared. He got a small plate for his son and put small portions of some green beans, chicken, and potatoes and then began to put some food on his own plate, watching his son reach out for the plate. He put out his hand and made Julian stop reaching out and then grabbed a fork and gave him a bite of food.
Evie smiled as she began putting food on to her plate.
"I wanna do it," Julian complained to Casey, reaching out for the fork
Jamie made a face and said. "Nikki, no dinner, then no chocolate cake or pumpkin pastries. We know those are your favorite."
She tried again with the turkey, coaxing her on lightly. She looked up at Casey, Evie and Julian and smiled. "These two are growing way too fast, eh?"
Casey laughed at his son and shook his head. Sorry, buddy, but you'll get it all over you. He heard Jamie's comment and nodded with a small smile. "That they are. So, you hear that, Jules? Stop the growing! You're making us gray!" he teased, tickling his son's sides.
Julain giggled as Casey tickled him, but looked up at him confused "Stop growing?" he asked slightly turning his head to the side
"Yep, that's right, my boy; stop growing," he repeated firmly with a serious look on his face.
Julian reached out his hand and tugged on Evie's sleeve. "Mummy, daddy's making his angry face." Evie looked over at Casey and cracked a smile, she was listening to them talk
Brian watched Casey, Julian, and Evie with a raised brow and then looked down when Nikki pulled on his goatee. Yes, he had put one on to annoy the heck out of Jamie when she couldn't do anything about it. He liked how he looked with one on, but she didn't for whatever reason. Dumb girls.
'Why dey being siwy?' she asked, hazel eyes looking up at him.
Casey shook his head. His son could be so funny sometimes. "I am, am I?" he asked, giving a smirk.
Julian nodded giving a small smile. "It's not angry no more"
"Anymore," he corrected but waved it off. There'd be plenty of time for that later. "I wasn't angry to begin with," he told him, taking the fork and resuming trying to feed him.
Julian opened his mouth as far as it would go, leaning forward to try to reach the fork, but a little to much and he nearly fell from the chair. Evie reached out and grabbed him, setting him back in the center Careful there she smiled tapping her finger on his nose
Casey reached out as well but pulled away when he saw Evie had him, taking the fork and handing it to him. "Don't hurt yourself now."
Brian chuckled. 'Likes food, doesn't he?' he said with a raised brow, leaning back in his chair, handing Nicole to Jamie.
Julian placed the fork in his mouth and pulled the piece of food off, holding the fork a little funny, Evie looked over at Brian and nodded. "He's a growing boy, but Merlin he likes to eat, I dont understand where he puts it all either."
Brian nodded. 'This one eats too much half the time and then the other half, she won't eat. Finnicky little girl.' He rolled his eyes. 'At least I usually have more luck at getting her to eat than Jamie here.'
Evie smiled as Julian placed his fork down on the plate and slid off his seat
"I wanna play," he said looking up at his parents, Evie shook her head. "Sorry honey, but mommy and daddy have some things to take care of, why dont you go ask Nikki to play?" she said looking up at Brian
Nicole ears seemed to perk when she heard her name. 'Pwease, daddy?' she said, giving him the look she'd figured out made him say yes almost everytime.
Brian bit a lip and glanced over at Jamie with a shrug. 'Go ahead, but stay around here and don't disturb the other teachers, ok?'
''K,' she answered innocently, reaching out for him so he would take her from her mummy and put her down, which he did. She walked over to Julian and held onto the seat of the chair, resting her chin on it and looking up at him. 'Wanna pway?'
Julian looked up at Casey and then to Evie seeing if it was alright, he looked to Nikki and nodded. Holding out his hand for her "Ok" he said as he led them to a corner of the great hall and sat down on the ground
Brian watched as his daughter and Evie and Casey's son walked over to the corner and sighed. 'Well, I suppose now we all can relax.'
"Before the mayhem of helping the prefects lead the first years to their common rooms, you mean?" Casey asked, taking a bite of food after glancing back to see where his son had taken off to.
Evie let out a small groan "thank you ever so much for reminding me," she teased, taking a sip from her goblet
'Yes, thank you, Winslow. Leave it to you to suck the fun out of things!' Brian added with an unenthusiastic look before glancing over at Jamie and then shoving some food into his mouth and eating it.
Casey rolled his eyes. "Whatever you two say. Just looking ahead, is all."
"I know sweetie" she said giving him a small smile "at least one of us is"
Brian smirked and clapped Casey on the back. 'It's alright, mate. You've always been one to think things through and into the future, which is why you never helped me with any pranks. Quite surprised you pulled that one with Evie, though. Thought I was your best mate!'
Serena walked into the great hall with her typical begining of the school year robes, a deep navy blue, an improvement from what had become her typical black, sweeping behind her as she passed through the doors. She smiled as she started up to the staff table only to feel small grasping hands near the bottom of her robe. She looked down and shook her head with a slight smile to see her best friend's child, with the other resident kid following short behind. She laughed and scooped Julian up in one arm and swung him around over her shoulder before walking up the dais with the other kid following close behind, screetching in protest.
Serena smiled and took Julian down tickling him sufficently before flipping him around to face Evie and Casey as the child giggled and screetched playfully. "I seem to have discovered a new type of pygmy. I figured as the resident dark arts specialist you would want to investigate Professor Winslow and as the resident charms expert you would be willing to be on standby in case it has some strange power we have not learned of yet."
"Another type of pygmy?" Casey asked, glancing at Nikki and then looking up at Serena and his son with a questioning look, wondering what exactly this would entail.
Serena laughed and hung Julian upside down playfully. "I suppose so, but that one didn't attack my robes viciously. This one...gripped on and I had to pry it off!"
Julian shrieked with laughter "Aunt Serena it's me, I'm not a py-pg-pigjimmy"
Casey laughed, getting that it was a joke now. Man, he was slow at the moment. "How do you know, eh, Jules?"
Serena laughed at the child's efforts to refute her charges. She flipped the boy upside right and threw him up in the air catching him for fun and tickling him when she had him firmly back in her arms. "Are you sure you're not a Pigjimmy? I hear they like to trick people into thinking they are safe creatures and then they capture them when they least expect it."
Julian laughed when she tossed him in the air and when she started tickling him. he looked down at himself and then back up at her
"I dont look like a pigjimmy, I look like Julian" he said innocently looking up at her
"Mm-hmm, is that so?" Casey asked with his serious face back on, seeing how Julian would refute this. For a three-year-old he was pretty smart but he didn't think he could refute this. "Pigjimmys like to trick people into following them, thinking they're innocent children and then once a pigjimmy has the person in the lair, it kills him painfully and slowly eating him alive," he continued, putting on a teacherly air as though he'd learned it for one of his lessons.
Serena smiled and held back laughter. "Yes, and i'm told they're quite short and child like to add to the inducement."
Evie watch her son try to understand Caseys explination and held back her laughter, that was far to advanced for someone his age. Julian looked from his father than to his aunt, sticking some fingers in his mouth as if trying to think.
"Mamma am I a pigjimmy?" he asked Evie
"Hmm, I dunno Jules, you kinda look like one" she said smiling
"What do you think, Serena? Pigjimmy or not?" he asked, reaching up and poking his son on the nose, which made him smile and put his hand to his nose.
Serena laughed and threw the child up in the air again catching him and twirling him around. "I don't think Pigjimmys are ticklish..."Serena smiled mischeviously and tickled Julian quickly in a few places, carefully to keep a good grip on him when he tried to squirm away. "And if pigjimmys aren't ticklish than this is deffinently not a pigjimmy..."
Julian laughed and threw his hands in the air
"See, I told you I'm not a pigjimmy"
"Aww, shucks!" Casey answered, mocking looking highly disappointed. "And here I thought we'd gone and discovered the rarest dark creature there is."
He sighed, pretending to look glum. He wondered at the fact that Julian didn't try to correct them for saying 'pigjimmy' instead of 'pygmy,' but perhaps that was how he heard it: 'pigjimmy.' Rather funny way to hear it, but oh well. They'd have to correct that before he started school, but that was eight years down the road.
"But," he added like an afterthought, "perhaps the pigjimmy would pretend to be ticklish since it tries to lure people by immitating a child." He rose a brow and looked at Evie, Serena, and Brian. "Eh?"
Evie smiled and took Julian from Serena and rested him on her hip
"You have a point there, well what do you think Professor is a rare species of pigjimmy?" she asked holding Julian out to Casey. Julian looked around at everyone with his head turned to the side listening to the adults converstation. When Casey said what he did about the 'pigjimmy' being rare his eyes lit up and he looked at his dad with a grin
Casey put on his 'thinking face' and put his left arm to his body, his right elbow resting in his left hand as his right stroked his chin as he watched his son. "Hm...looks like a child--check. Eats so fast it's hard to tell where he stores it all--check. Seems to have all the ladies under his spell--check. Yep, definitely a pigjimmy. No two ways about it. You are not my son but a pigjimmy," he said, sounding like one of those mad scientists making a deduction about something. He reached out and took Julian from Evie. "But, here's the real test. See, a pigjimmy wouldn't know how old it is because pigjimmys, like most dark creatures, can't count. So, how old are you?"
"tree" Julian said holding up 3 tiny fingers
Casey smiled. "You're 'tree,' are you? Well, that's a relief. Not a pigjimmy. Don't have to worry about leaving you alone with someone then. But then, wait...how do I know you didn't trap my son and ask him his age and which fingers to hold up to show it?" he asked. He'd leave the poor kid alone after this. He was just amused by his reactions.
Julian laughed "how could I ask myself how old I am? Daddy your funny" he said pulling at a button on Casey's robe
Casey rose a brow. "Daddy? Funny?" he asked, pretending this was very far-fetched. "I don't know what you mean. Ask your mum. Daddy's not funny." He gave Evie a smirk.
Evie smirked back and looked at Julian, nodding her head in agreement "Daddy thinks he's funny, but unfortunaly he's not"
Julian looked at Casey and patted him with his tiny hand "Thats ok daddy, I think your funny"
"Why thank you, Jules," Casey said looking at his son with a smile, setting him down so he'd be seated forward on his lap, and then he smirked and stuck his tongue out at Evie playfully and pointed at his son. "See, Eves, someone agrees with me, don't you, buddy?" He tickled Julian's most ticklish spot on his side.
Julian laughed, trying to squirm away from being tickled and shook his head in agreement. Evie gave Casey a smirk
"He must be biased" she said teasingly
"Oh really?" he asked in an unconvinced, questioning tone, like a sleuth trying to double-check something that didn't quite check out. "You'd think by now you'd be biased, as well," he teased back. He abandoned tickling Julian but instead turned him around and made him fall back, of course, catching him before he could really fall. He couldn't imagine what it must look like to the students...the professors messing around at their table just as though they were students, too.
She grinned watching the two play "well like you said, dear, I was never one to follow the rules"
Casey shook his head, eyes on Julian who was errupting with laughter as he tossed him in the air and caught him a few times. "That you weren't, but I don't see what that has to do with anything..."
Evie waved it off and watched the two. Some of the students were looking up at the head table now, watching the small boy being tossed into the air. getting a few whispers and giggles from some of the girls
Casey looked over toward the students after catching Julian one last time and setting him back on his lap, despite protests of, "More, daddy, more!"
He noticed some of the girls were pointing to him and giggling. He wasn't sure if this was a good thing or not...if they would take him serious in class after this or not. Oh well, no worries. :Daddy's arms are getting tired, Jules," he said, which made the boy cross his arms and pout.
Julian sat there after a few more minutes of pouting and looked around the Great Hall, Evie watched him take in everything that was around him, his eyes seemed to gleam with all the new things he was seeing. Evie leaned over to whisper to Casey
"He seems to have your intellect" she said pointing to her son as seemed to be studying everything going on around him
Casey looked down at him with a smile and nodded to Evie. "Hey, there, bud. What's up?"
"Nufin" he said looking around the room, and craning his neck up to look at the enchanted ceiling "wow.." he said in his tiny voice as he leaned farther back, using Casey as leverage
Casey chuckled. Little kids were...dare he think it? cute. He couldn't remember ever being this happy before, but he knew he'd been content when it had just been Evie and himself. He wondered how on earth this little rascal had grown on him so easily. "Isn't it nice?"
"uh huh" Julian nodded turning his head this way and that to see the full scale of the cealing
Casey sighed and turned his head to look at Serena. "How was your summer?"
Julian quickly got bored with the cealing and looked back at the table, giving a large yawn
"Looks like somebody needs a nap," he commented, standing up and carrying his son with him. "Perhaps I should take the little rascal back to the room and you two can catch up?"
Serena smiled and took her seat at the table. "Fine I suppose. I took over a nice flat this year and just sort of did an odd job here or there for the ministry and visited with mum and da for a few weeks. Nothing spectacular. How about the three of you? Anything out of the ordinary?"
Evie gave Julian a kiss goodnight and sat back at the table, tunring to Serena
"No, thankfully. I think we've had enough of that to last a lifetime" Eive said with a sigh "how are your parents doing?"
'See ya, Casey,' Brian said, picking up Nicole who had been tugging at his sleeve the past few seconds.
"Sounds nice, Serena," he said, shifting Julian in his arms. "See you tomorrow, though," he said, walking off with Julian in his arms, past Brian, saying, "See you," back to him. Julian was giving a little protest to going to bed as he saw the girls that were all following him to try to get to see him and, he hoped, play with him. "Sorry, girls, this one's got a curfew to meet."
"Aww, dad!" Julian protested, causing the girls to giggle, but Casey got him up to the room and helped him get ready for bed and placed him in his bed.
"Night."
"Daddy, you forgot the story!"
"What story?"
"The one mummy weads."
"Oh, right...that one." Casey sighed. He'd been hoping to go over some lesson plans but he went ahead and read the story anyway.
Brian sighed and bounced Nikki on his knee a few times...one of her favorite things for whatever reasons. Kids were too easily amused. But she started fussing a few minutes later so he let her snuggle up to him. 'Soo...'
Serena smiled and sighed. "They're fine. Busy as usual, disguising themselves as muggles, not so hard for mum or da but they do it none the less."
She smiled "its good to hear there doing well, and you also, did you manage to get all settled into your flat?"
Serena smiled and nodded after taking a sip of her pumpkin juice. "Yep. Just finished unpaking the last box the week before we all had to come back. Not much to put in or take out I suppose but its cozy none the less..."
"The best way to have it" she smiled, placing the napkin that was on her lap back on the table "Looking forward to the new school year?" It seems almost unreal being at Hogwarts with no worries of Voldemort or anything else
Jamie sat quietly and listened, watching Nicole with Brian until the head got up and began his speech. "Welcome to another exciting year at Hogwarts! First, there are a few rules to lay down for the first years. The Forbidden Forest is off limits to all and the Yule Ball is only for fourth years on up. We have a new deputy headmistress, Mrs. Jamie Carter and two new professors: Miss Ginevra Weasley and Miss Elanor Godfrey, and Mr. Jared Turner has been moved to Divination. The Black Lake is off limits for swimming to third years and below. That is all."
At the mention of Elanor's name, Nikki perked up and looked around wildly, calling out, "Auntie Ellie?! Auntie Ellie?!"
Elanor stood as her name was mentioned and looked around at the students. As she sat down, she heard Nikki's yelling and gave an embarrassed look, standing from her spot and making her way down to where Jamie was seated with Nikki. She held out her hands for Nikki, a big grin on her face. "Hey there, girl! What's up?"
Nikki stretched out her tiny arms and wrapped them around her neck. "Notin' but da ceiling!"
Jamie laughed and looked up at Elanor. "Hey, Ellie."
Elanor let out a small laugh at Nikki. "She's soo cute, Jamie!" she exclaimed, tickling Nikki in the ribs. "Hey, Evie, Serena, Brian," she said, looking at each of them in greeting.
Serena whispered quietly as the speech continued "I think I am. After two years I believe I finally have got a grasp on this whole teaching thing and now that I only have to modify old lesson plans it is getting much easier. At least i'll be able to relax about my surrowndings, maybe leave the castle more..."
Elanor noticed that Evie and Serena seemed to be deep in conversation so she just turned her gaze to Nikki, chattering with her and then looking at Jamie. "This'll be different, eh?"
Evie smiled and leaned toward Serena so she could whisper "Serena thats great, and your a natural at teaching you have nothing to worry about"
"Thanks Evie...I still think you're better even though its going to be interesting with Julian running about during charms lessons..."
She sighed "yea, interesting is defintly the right word..I dont know how I'm going to manage that"
"I could take him on free periods if you want. Julian and I get along well enough..."
She smiled "he would like that, he talks about you all the time"
Serena laughed brightly and shook her head. "What does he say? Mum look its that crazy lady whome you say is my adoptive aunt?"
She laughed "More like 'Mum wheres aunt Serena? Mum whens aunt Serena comming? Mum I wanna play with Aunt Serena...'"
Serena smiled and laughed. "That's only because Aunt Serena follows the ancient rules of adopted Aunthood: Children get spoiled because you cannot spank aunts..."
She laughed shaking her head slightly "That is very true, so then I know who to turn to when Julian turns up with something we said he cant have" she said with a small grin
Serena smiled and nodded holding up her hands in surrender. "Guilty as charged...but can you really blame me?"
"No" she said with a smile "I can hardly say no to him now, I usualy leave that up to Casey. So I know how you feel"
"I suppose it will get easier as he gets older. Its always easier when their not so cute and funny. I mean, sometimes I suspect that he is using us and knows it very well and then other times I can barely believe I thought that..."
Evie grined "He may have Casey's smarts, but he has my personalty, I would not put it past the little devil if he knew very well how to manupilate us into getting what he wants"
"That child of yours is dangerous Evie. Smart and manupulitive. That is a single handedly deadly combination of strengths. I don't think the wizarding world, much less the muggle world, is safe from that one..."
Evie nodded and looked around the hall before back at Serena "lets just hope he doenst grasp on to those 'skills' to soon"
Serena laughed and nodded in agreement. "Unfortunatly I think he'll be on to his talents as soon as he can pronounce pygmy properly if not slightly before..."
Evie smiled some at the thoguht "he is certinly going to be a handful once that happens" she sighed "may even have to take some time from teaching to keep an eye on him, dont want any unexpected suprises"
Serena smiled and nodded. "I'm sure you could set up a database of volenteer students to keep an eye on him. If not there's me to help out and some of the other Professors would as well, i'm sure of it."
She laughed a little "Julian would love that all to much, all the attention he'd be getting"
Serena laughed. "Well, he'd be getting it either way, if not from you and the rest of the Professors, than from the girls down there drooling over how sweet he is everytime anyone walks into the Great Hall or class with him. The boy is popular, no way about it."
Evie glanced down at the female population in the great hall and gave a small smirk before shaking her head "he's not even past 3 years old and he has girls lining up"
Serena nodded. "As I remeber Mrs. Winslow, you and your husband both had your fair share of admirers at school. Among them some particularly interesting characters...your son is just following his genetic make up."
"Oh please, we were no difrent than the rest of the group when it came to that, as I remeber you seemed to of caught the eye of a few"
Serena sighed and shook her head. "One...one and he left rather quickly didn't he? No, you and Casey were most deffinently the group paramours. I was just the shy, silent brain behind the opperations."
Evie sighed, she had to bring up that sore subject didnt she, Derrin was a senseless git, he was lucky he didnt keep in touch after leaving like that. She shook her head slightly and gave a small smile "none of that matters now anyway, we've all changed, for the better and what happened during school is nothing more than memories"
Serena nodded and smiled softly. "I suppose you're right as usual Evie, but I still can't help but think...well, you know. You're married with children and in that respect I am very much unchanged and I for one fear that I am offically resigned to be an old school mistress and part time nanny! Not that it bothers me much. I am much better with books than children or men...not that there is much of a difference..."
"Serena" she began looking at her firends eyes "there is someone out there for you, but, your not going to find him sitting locked away in a castle with your nose in a book. The only way you will end up as the old school mistress is if you allow it"
Serena sighed and resisted the heavy impulse to roll her eyes at Evie's speech about her efforts to at least look for someone she might be interested in. Ever since the Dark Lord came out of power her life was based on becoming socially active again. She had been trying to gain a solid social life, including a romantic interest, for the past two years or so and nothing had occured as of yet. "I have tried Evie. I've tried for a long time now and teaching doesn't exactly help my time now does it? Half the year i'm here at school, if not more!"
"Yeah." Jamie said with a slight smile and watched Nikki give Ellie a wet baby kiss on the cheek.
"Hey! You're a big girl, Nikki!" Elanor protested, pulling her face away. "I know you know how to kiss!"
Jamie laughed and said. "I'm afraid to teach her how to kiss - she might turn into a real mini me and start kissing Julian! Jamie glanced over at Brian and patted his hand. "I was a...interesting person before you knew me. Boys were my second priority, just don't turn into Dadda and beat up all Nikki's boyfriends, eh?"
Brian rose a brow. 'Hey! I resemble that remark! Might I remind you of the ball your last year? Wasn't exactly...pretty, was it, now? And if my three-year-old daughter goes around kissing Winslow's kid, I will not hesitate to keep the two apart!'
Jamie smirked and said. "You are so lucky I wasn't living with mum and dad when we were boyfriend and girlfriend. Dad would have kicked your arse - don't turn into him, okay?"
'And why would he have kicked my arse?' he asked, raising a brow as though not knowing why. He loved playing dumb around her and getting a rise out of her.
Elanor rose a brow and swooped Nikki around like she was flying. "So, Nikki, whatcha going t' be when you grow up? A Quidditch player like your mum was?" she asked with a grin. "You seem to have an aptitude for flying!"
Nikki squealed in delight as she was swirled around and said excitedly. "I gonna be a qui' playa! I wanna be a seeka like mommy!"
"My dad had this whole vision of me marrying a Herado or distant Seams who would take me into the Potions making business! A prankster wasn't exactly his vision..." Jamie said with a smirk. "But I just couldn't pass you up."
'I suppose I should ask why you couldn't pass me up, but I somehow find myself reluctant to ask...' he said, giving her a smirk back.
Elanor smiled and swooped Nikki downward and then upward again. "Yay! Hear that, mummy?"
"Welll...because you're so darn cute!" Jamie teased. Nikki squealed happily again and put out her arms like a airplane. "Ooo a seeker, eh? Awesomness abroad! It's tough work, but I'm sure a Carter slash Seams could pull it off!"
Brian smirked. 'Is that so, m'dear?' he asked with a raised brow. He wondered what else Nikki would want to be before she grew up and actually became whatever she would become, so he didn't comment on the Quidditch thing.
Trevor had been quietly watching all the happenings aside from his necessary speech. Judging by the Winslow's greetings of each other and the interaction with the kids and fellow teachers, this group was closeknit. Damn, that put a hitch in his plan. Why on earth had Voldemort given him this sort of job? He was used to stalking someone and planting Avada Kedavra behind their backs. This wasn't his area of expertise. Maybe the Dark Lord had been 'dead' for too long. He'd do it nevertheless, and he would succeed. He'd capture the Mrs. and have his fun, then force her to watch as her husband was tortured. It'd be a perfect ending for the sickly sweet couple. The torture portion would be the most fun for him. This part was going to be boring.
As he noticed everyone's plates seem to empty and the Carter's little one seemed to be ready to sleep, he stood, making the food disappear and heard a hush grow over the group as all eyes fell upon Headmaster Trey Hunter. "Well, I trust you all enjoyed your meals as much as I did, but now that we are all fed and watered, it is time to retire for the night. Remember, prefects and heads, you must be sure to lead your newest members to your house and make sure they know the passwords and all of that. I trust you will all do well and that your professors that head each house will not need to get involved."
The Headmaster's eye fell upon the squib standing in the doorway, seeming to try to remind him of something. Bloody git. Got on his wrong nerves. He'd have to fire him or something. "Ah, yes, and please be sure to check Filch's list of banned items. I do believe Ton-tongue toffees and Nosebleed Nougats have been added as well as a few other items. For the complete list, please visit Filch's office on the ground floor. Thank you and good night."
With that, he left his seat, beginning to head for the door to do his duties of making sure no first years wandered off without an older student or prefect with them.