Something New [Closed]

[Julian Rossi]

Late November, 2005
7pm
After dinner, Julian rose from his chair at the head of the staff table and followed a crowd of students through the double oak doors and out of the Great Hall. As if on autopilot, he headed directly to the grand staircase which would take him to his office where he would retire to the comfort of his office for the rest of the evening. Julian was halfway up the first flight of stairs before he remembered that he had intended to spend part of his evening in the teacher's lounge, in his new efforts to be more social in his free time.

Doubling back across the Entrance Hall, Julian entered the staffroom corridor, stopping at a door that was guarded by a pair of sentient stone gargoyles. Ever since they had been partially destroyed in the Battle of Hogwarts, the gargoyles now demanded a password before admitting entrance to the Teacher's Lounge, and even as Headteacher, Julian was not exempt from this added level of security. "Widdershins," he said, and the lock on the door clicked open.

Julian pushed open the door and stepped inside, finding the long, panelled room was currently void of staff members. He took a seat in one of the mismatched armchairs, placed his briefcase on the table and looked out the window. It had been cold and rainy for most of November, but the weather had turned mild and it began to snow earlier this evening. There was already a smattering of snow on the grounds, and Julian watched as a group of first-years attempted to make snowballs, only to give up and instead shove handfuls of snow down the backs of each other's robes.

Julian smiled and laughed, then turned away from the window and opened his briefcase. He re-read a memo he had received this morning from the Head of the Auror Department, which asked for an estimate on the amount of Aurors needed at the castle over the holidays. Julian didn’t have the official count of students staying at the castle for Christmas – that list didn't go out until the first week of December – but could usually make a fairly accurate prediction. He reached for his quill and ink to pen a letter back, then snapped his briefcase closed again.

He was here to socialize, not to work.

[Elyria Silverberg]

Elyria had finished her dinner a bit early and was patrolling the hallways to make sure no students were steaking around already. When everyone was in the Great Hall, some of the teenagers enjoyed some of the more remote corners of the halls to prepare pranks or have a little couples moment away from eavesdroppers. With the term drawing near its end, many students tried to get their visiting in before they were away from each other.

Alas, tonight was quiet. Elyria was quietly thankful for that. With her wand out and illuminated, she walked down the dim hallways to the Entrance Hall. As the flames in the halls got brighter, she gave her wand a flick and put it back into her robes, smoothing them out as she walked. Rather than make her way back to her quarters, Elyria decided to spend some time inthe Staffroom to see how some of the other professors were doing had they decided to stop by.


"Widdershins," she said as she approached the gargoyles at the door. Professor Silverberg waited for the lock to click before opening the door and stepping through. As she shut the door behind her, she scanned the room to see who had made their way in. To her surprise, she only saw Julian at the time. "Well, good evening, Julian. Gearing up for the end of term?" She gave a smile and stood nearby until offered to sit. She didn't want to impose if he were busy.

[Julian Rossi]

The doors to the staffroom opened, and Julian looked up, relaxing at the sight of Elyria. As Headteacher, Julian appeared confident and outspoken, but the opposite could be said outside of working hours. To be honest, he was out of his comfort zone to be in the staffroom this evening. It wasn’t easy to tell, though. Julian was great at small talk – he'd had years of practice – but he was reluctant to talk much about himself and too shy to ask questions, and relationships with his colleagues had a tendency to stagnate.

His Deputy Headteacher, however, was one of the few staff members with whom Julian felt fully comfortable. Elyria had been at his side from their first day at Hogwarts, and she knew all of his secrets: there was no need to wear a mask with her. "Long time no see," he joked, referring to the fact that they had just dined side by side at the staff table in the Great Hall. Noticing that she still stood waiting for his invitation, Julian smiled – she was always so polite – he gestured for her to sit.

"Yes and no," he said in response to her question. "I'm trying to be more… outgoing, I suppose," he said with a shrug. "Do you know, I just recently started calling Professor – er, Nigel," he corrected, "by his first name?" Julian chuckled ruefully in the irony of his mistake. "Clearly, I'm still not used to it." Julian allowed himself a moment's rumination, and then stood up. "Coffee or tea?" He offered brightly, gesturing and heading to the long table in the middle of the room where the house-elves always left beverages and an assortment of pastries and sandwiches for the staff to snack on.

As he busied himself at the table, Julian spoke over his shoulder. "But yes, I was just looking over some end-of-term work. Nervous habit," he added, glancing back to look at her. He was, of course, referring to his need to keep busy at all times, to which Elyria was well accustomed by now. "What are your plans for the holiday?"

[Elyria Silverberg]

Elyria took a seat across the table from Julian. She listened as he spoke about his efforts to be more outgoing. There was always a sort of delicate balance between being casual and professional with the other professors. Was it acceptable to call the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor 'Ethan' when the two had known each other since their first year at Hogwarts? What if students were around, too? Like Julian, Elyria had to navigate those waters. There was a sense of disrespect she felt when she called the Arithmancy professor, her former professor no less, by her first name.

Even at the Ministry, she called her Professor Sigma out of habit. "I'm glad to see you're trying at least. I think the staff will be more at ease with it, too. It felt like I was being disrepectful the first time I called Professor Sigma 'Integra' when she was over my department at the Ministry. I still struggle with it now." She gave a chuckle while thinking about those interactions. Since the school reopened, things had felt stiff and almost rigid at times. The Ministry had Aurors stationed at the school, which had it's benefits she supposed. For Elyria it just made things feel even more rigid. Who knew what would be reported back to the Ministry without their knowledge? More Ministry interference was the last thing she wanted. But, the Aurors had all seemed pretty relaxed about their postings. Perhaps reports back to the Ministry were just a figment of her imagination.

When offered something to drink, she took a look at a nearby timepiece before responding, "It's a bit late, so tea would be safer for me, please. I don't want to be unable to sleep later from the coffee." She noted the paperwork that Julian had at his seat and nodded. Making sure all Ts were crossed and Is were dotted was an important step at the end of each term. Exams and grades had strict deadlines to get the grades sent out. When Julian asked about her plans she thought for a moment. Her family had their traditions that she'd take part in, but that was really about it. "I'll have family things back home, but aside from that, I'm not really sure. I may do some work around the castle or something. The Highlands are so beautiful this time of year and we've got fantastic views... what about you?" Knowing of Julian's past, she wondered if he'd be staying at Hogwarts through the holiday or if he'd go home. Perhaps he had other plans? "The offer stands to come celebrate with us this year if you plan on sticking around here."

[Julian Rossi]

As a workaholic, Julian always considered himself to be "on duty" and available to those at Hogwarts. Due to his reclusive tendencies, however, Julian had learned that the act of simply being available was not enough to form relationships with his colleagues. He could not depend on too many casual visits to his office; he was much more approachable in neutral locations, such as the Great Hall or the staffroom. Nevertheless, habits were hard to break, and Julian smiled at Elyria's acknowledgement of his effort.

Julian felt a rush of gratitude towards Elyria for her understanding and knowing how to ease his anxiety. Of course, Elyria would relate to the challenges of navigating workplace dynamics; she had gone from student to colleague to superior with many of the staff at Hogwarts. Bringing up Integra as an example was the perfect choice, and served as a reminder to Julian that even the rockiest beginnings can lead to a close and meaningful friendship. "I just called her 'Madam' for the longest time," he admitted wistfully, recalling the fond memories.

Citing the late hour, Elyria requested tea, and Julian poured some cream and dropped two lumps of sugar into a teacup. With a flick of his wand, the teapot rose in midair and tipped to pour into the cup as he prepared himself a cup of coffee, black. With his back turned, he allowed a slight smirk to play on his lips at what Elyira considered to be "late"; as a chronic insomniac, there was no such thing to Julian. Conjuring a tray beneath the two drinks with another wave of his wand, Julian added a few biscuits with only a moment's hesitation; despite just having had dinner, he could not deny his sweet tooth.

With a final flick of his wand, the tray floated to the table, where Julian rejoined Elyria. Taking a sip of his coffee, he murmured "Hmm," in interest as Elyria shared her holiday plans. It seemed they were sticking to routine again this year; she typically went home for the holidays, and Julian always stayed at Hogwarts. "The same as usual," he said in a neutral tone, neither looking forward to nor dreading it. While he didn't have a family to celebrate with, he was never alone. In fact, Elyria's family was always hospitable to him, and sure enough, Elyria reminded him of their standing offer. Lowering his coffee mug, Julian smiled warmly, and "Thank you," was all he said for the moment.

While there wasn't much to do at Hogwarts during the break, Julian liked to be there for the few that did stay. That wasn't to say he didn't keep himself busy; he was well-connected and always had a plethora of invitations to parties or functions. He attended each and every one of them, though more out of social obligation rather than enjoyment. They could be formal and stuffy, and Julian's idea of a good holiday was spent with family… even if they weren't his own, and were as large as Elyria's.

"Thank you," he said again, making up his mind. "I'll be there. As much as I can," he added without further explanation; his reputation for never missing Christmas day lunch at Hogwarts was well established by now. "Are you going to the party at the Ministry?" he asked casually, wondering if perhaps they could go together and avoid the reprimands from the hostess for not bringing a plus one.

[Elyria Silverberg]

Elyria gave a small chuckle to Julian's use of 'Madam' for Integra. It certainly sounded appropriate even though the those few years she had Professor Sigma as an instructor at Hogwarts were few than the years in which they'd worked as colleagues or even with one as the other's boss. Ely had a lot of respect for the seasoned witch and her tough yet fair attitude toward things. It was a miracle to see her back at Hogwarts after everything that happened. In some ways it was a sign that things were returning to normal in the world.

It had been several years now, but the thought of Hogwarts being attacked still shook Elyria. This was a safe haven for so many children over the centuries. She always regretted not breaking the rules, shockingly, and coming to fight to protect it. Hearing of the valiant efforts of her all-time favorite professors of Transfigurations and Charms lit a fire in her to strive for something greater than ever before. Her thoughts were broken when the tray made its way over. Her arms was resting on the table while she leaned forward in a more casual position than usual. Her right hand was propped on the table as her hand fidgeting with her earring. "Oh, thank you." Ely sat up a bit and took her cup and saucer from the tray and sipped on its contents before setting it down on the table before her.

When the subject came to the Ministry, Elyria took another sip of her tea in thought. After leaving the Ministry for Hogwarts, her view of the governing body had shifted a bit, especially with the assignment of aurors at the school. It wasn't the first time they'd been placed at the school over the years, but it felt like a sort of slap in the face to her. Most of the professors were new, true, but why couldn't Hogwarts maintain its autonomy without their interference more than they already did with the Department of Magical Education, in which she and Professor Sigma worked. After all, look how that great High Inquisitor nonsense turned out in the long run back in the 1995-1996 school year.

It was no secret to many that Elyria opposed the aurors' presence, but she never took it out on them. She appreciated the extra security... to an extent. When it came to parties held by the Ministry, however, she always played a political move and gave neutral responses or changed the subject, as festive engagements were neither the time nor place to engage in such discussions. "I'll be there. As much as i can," she responded with a teasing wink.

Elyria had several friends still at the Ministry, among other places. The Ministry parties were a nice reunion of sorts with many of them. Even her brother was invited to them. They always gave a comical long-time-no-see joke by the time the saw each other at the family gatherings. She took another sip and looked back at Julian. "Any new Ministry decrees to prepare for next term? Or rather, is there anything we should be prepared for at the party?" It wouldn't surprise her if there were, but still, Elyria remained hopeful that it would be a simple gathering of witches and wizards to celebrate the holidays.

[Julian Rossi]

Julian chuckled into his coffee as Elyria repeated his own answer about attending the party. "I guess I'll see you there," he said. "And probably about a half dozen more familiar faces," he added; so many of their colleagues had Ministry of Magic backgrounds. "Integra won't miss it. I wonder if we'll see Nigel there, I know he was invited." Julian took another sip of his coffee while he eyed Elyria thoughtfully. "Is Ethan going to be there?" he asked, his tone innocent but his eyes danced with amusement. Julian had never brought it up before, but he had sensed some chemistry between Elyria and Ethan, especially as of late and wondered if there was more to it.

"Oh, I hope not," Julian said darkly when Elyria asked him if there would be any new decrees to prepare for. "But with the Boggart incident last month, who knows?" he sighed mournfully. Both Hogwarts and the Ministry of Magic had faced backlash over what the public called 'security lapses' and Julian shuddered to think how the Ministry would beef up security even further; in his opinion, they already had too many Aurors stationed at Hogwarts.

"If they do, I hope they don't announce it until the new year. Nothing says 'Happy Christmas' like…" Julian trailed off, shrugging meaningfully. When it came to the Aurors, Julian tried to be as diplomatic as possible. He had expressed his opinions to Elyria, but it did not seem appropriate conversation for the staff room, even if they were the only ones there at the moment.

[Elyria Silverberg]

Elyria nodded at the list of possible attendees and finding it a bit amusing that several staff members left the Ministry to come back to Hogwarts when it re-opened. Not that there wasn't a very good reason for a change in career in 1998. When the Dark Lord took over and Muggle-born wizards were forced to register as such, a dark shadow was cast over the organization. Elyria, being a pure-blood witch, was afforded the least amount of panic or worry. It was a privilege she didn't ask for, but she managed to stick with things. With Integra over the Department of Magical Education, Elyria felt safer than most and she stuck around for the students. If she had known sooner about the battle, she would have joined the school's defenses for more than just keeping the students safe.

Hogwarts meant a lot to Elyria. She wasn't a student who came from a troubled background or even one that stayed there during extended breaks. The mysticism and ancient mysteries of Hogwarts were what made the school so appealing. And the memories, of course. Her time at Hogwarts involved long nights of studying, friendly duels against classmates, and some special times with her biggest rival. While they never dated, Elyria formed a strong friendship with Ethan Forrester. It was one that shifted when they graduated, but came back as if they'd never been apart when both started teaching at the school.

She snapped back to it when she heard Julian mention Ethan's name while she was mid sip. "Hmm?" She pulled the cup away and swallowed her tea before continuing. "Oh! Ethan. We hadn't really spoken about our plans for the break yet. I'm not sure if he'll be there. I could ask if he'd like to be my plus one -- for us all to be there, of course. I'm sure it would look good on use showing our support for the Ministry." She gave a nod, fumbling that one pretty well, she thought.

The thought of the Boggart incident made her cringe. Elyria thought they'd done pretty well keeping things safe up until that moment. With the way the "new" ministry was working, she was surprised the ministry didn't have their heads for it yet. "I'll take our small graces with the Ministry right now. Do we know much more about the incident? Is there anything we can do do help restore the forest. The centaurs would surely appreciate the help... as would the creatures that were displaced for that matter..."

[Julian Rossi]

As close as Julian and Elyria had become over the years, he didn't care much to talk about his love life (or lack thereof) and he would not press her for more information on hers. He nodded thoughtfully, waiting to see if she would elaborate unprompted, and when she did not, he simply said, "Good idea. I'm sure Ethan would love to be your plus one," and then let the subject drop.

When Elyria asked if there had been any more developments on the investigation into the Boggart incident, Julian shook his head. "No, and the Aurors don't care to keep me involved." He frowned and rubbed his jaw. Julian didn't like to be kept in the dark and had had to be rather assertive to get any information out of the Ministry of Magic at all. "They insist that no one could have gotten onto school grounds to place that cabinet by the lake… " he said slowly, still frowning. "But that can't be right, because that would mean…" Abruptly he stopped speaking and looked around the staff room uneasily.

"I know it's just us in here, but it still doesn't feel right to have this conversation in the staffroom. Shall we take a walk and enjoy the first snowfall of the season? And don't correct me if I'm wrong about that!" Julian added, his joke referring to his tendency to have his nose so deeply buried in work that he often forgets to look outside his office window.

[Elyria Silverberg]

When Julian mentioned Ethan probably loving to be her plus one, she felt her face warm a bit. Perhaps it was time she let her boss in on her little secret, but the change of subject told her to leave it alone for now. There was always later. But, then again, the two had been a 'thing' for quite a while and Julian entrusted her with a fair amount of his past. She shook thoughts and returned back to the conversation.

She listened as the Headteacher worked through some of the information he'd received about the incident and subsequently asked her to go for a walk. She perused the room as she sipped on her tea before acknowledging his request for a walk. "Sure, I think that would be lovely." She finished the last bit of her tea and set down the cup on the table as she rose from her seat. Silently, she tried to recall the past few days to remember if there had been any snow. With Julian's instruction not to correct her, she figured it was best to let it slide.

Elyria stepped over to the door and waved it open... and then let it shut. She took a deep breath and turned to her boss and quickly spoke in what sounded like a long run-on sentence. "Julian, I need to tell you something. Ethan and I have been together for several years now and I apologize for withholding this from you. I know it isn't professional to have a relationship with a colleague, and I think I knew it would happen when I convinced him to apply, but I just wanted him here. And safe. And I promise it won't interfere with my impartialness in any situation that involves my judgement, and... let's go for that walk, shall we?" Elyria waved her hand to re-open the door, and promptly walked out to the corridor and waited, panting a bit as she tried to recall what just happened and if the Ministry would be willing to hire her once more. Was it that deep?

Truthfully, the situation with the forest and the Boggart were far more serious than two professors having a relationship at the moment. She stepped over to a window in the corridor and cleared a section of the window so she could see outside.

[Julian Rossi]

Taking one last gulp of his coffee, Julian set his mug down next to Elyria's empty teacup, and with a lazy wave of his wand, the dirty dishes vanished from sight. Trying to recall and commit to memory all the topics he wanted to discuss with Elyria during their walk, Julian was lost in thought as he moved to exit the staff room, jumping in alarm as the door slammed shut in front of him.

Turning to look askance at Elyria, Julian's look of surprise deepened as she began to speak in a rush, about to confess some secret. As he began to understand her secret and why she kept it from him, his expression softened, and though he smiled kindly, a feeling of embarrassment tugged at his stomach. Here he was playing matchmaker, and Elyria and Ethan had been a couple for several years! And if he was being honest with himself (though he rarely was), Julian couldn't help but feel hurt that she had not confided in him until he pressed her just now.

Sensing her distress, Julian opened his mouth to offer something comforting, but he did not know what to say. Perhaps it was his silence that caused her to promptly stop speaking and leave the staff room. Julian stared after her, confused by her sudden change in mood and worried that he had caused it. Following her out into the corridor, Julian approached Elyria at the window and placed his hand gently on her shoulder to announce his presence. "What has got you looking so worried right now?" he asked her, searching her eyes, his own eyes full of concern. "I am happy for you and Ethan. Truly."

[Elyria Silverberg]

Elyria let out a sigh before turning around to see Julian and answer his question. Elyria was someone who lived by the rules, and did her best to be honest with people. Hiding something from Julian wasn't actually her goal, but there was plenty to worry about with the school reopening than two of his employees starting up a relationship. "Ethan and I made a promise years ago that we would wait to finish our time here as students before we jumped into anything serious. I've considered it one of the biggest mistakes of my life telling him no. We were in our sixth year and both of us were in the running to be Head Students the next year and I didn't want to be the reason he failed. So, I said no. We promised to always be the other's plus one to events as a compromise."" Elyria gave a hopeless smile and decided to take the lead in walking.

After a moment, she continued. "When I found out Ethan's father was an auror who died in the line of duty and that Ethan wanted to be an auror, I worried about him constantly and how we could've had more time together if I'd just said yes that night... when I was hired on here and the Defense Against the Dark Arts position was opened, I convinced him to apply both to be closer to him and to keep him out of all that fighting. And after seven years, I never once told you despite the confidence you held in me. I'm truly sorry for that. You had plenty to worry about here, and the last thing you needed was a personnel issue. I promise that there will be no more secrets. And, I promise that Professor Forrester and I will keep things professional when around the students. We both agree that their education and safety come first." She looked up to Julian as she awaited his response. She'd kept her voice low in the event a student or other professor had passed them by. Even though she was telling Julian the full story, it wasn't something she wanted spread across the school.


"Enough about me and my schoolgirl drama. What were you hoping to speak about?" She gave a chuckle, attempting to shake off the embarrassment and return to her calm, composed nature. Elyria always tried to be the rock for Julian, especially when they were first starting out. Whatever he struggled with, she picked up and ran with it. With everything happening at the school and the lack of information he was receiving from the Aurors, she was sure there was plenty for him to talk about with her.


[[Continued: Secrets in the Snow]