new blood.

[MARCUS LENNOX]

With the school year having just begun, Marcus was already finding himself swamped. New students were still learning the rules of the school and older students were testing their limits at every turn. Marcus was efficient at stopping things before they could get too far, but then again most people did shy away from the Deputy Headmaster for the sheer fact that he was straight up intimidating most of the time.

Not a cruel man by any means, he was simply stern and strict and smiling was not always his highest priority when sending a delinquent student to detention. In fact, he was quite sure that he would look more manic and mentally unstable than he already was if that were the case. But amidst all of his deputy work, he also had a class to run. A class that had to be run by both school and ministry standards that was always shifting and changing with each new semester.

There were so many laws and regulations to consider when tailoring his class to ministry needs and the school's standardized system that he had quickly found himself spread out quite far across the large table in the teacher's lounge. With his hazel gaze darting from page to page, making notations here and there, and organizing the next few weeks of the class, he sat there debating the pacing of things. In the year previous, he found that certain aspects of the training went faster than others, and by the end of a unit, he had sometimes been beating a dead horse. Unsure of how confident this year's class would be, he figured he would gauge skill before really condensing or expanding the different training units.

Persephone chose then to leap up into his lap, pushing her dark, furry body between his arms and trying to rub the top of her head under his chin. Pulled sharply out of his hyperfocused moment of concentration, Marcus pressed a kiss to the top of the cat's head. "Did you chase all of the mice away?" he rumbled warmly, playing with Persephone's ears and absently glazing over his papers once more. "I think its time for a break, don't you?" he hummed to his cat, guiding her up onto his shoulders so he could work at gathering up his paperwork into smaller stacks.

But the opening of the teacher's lounge door had him looking up, once more having his train of thought cut off. Instead of immediately leaving as he might have, he observed the young professor who stepped inside. She was new this year. He had vetted her application himself before passing it off to Aleathea, knowing that having an experienced healer working as the Medicinal Magic professor was vital when considering the other classes on the grounds. "Ah, Professor Dendron," he said in a cordial tone, reaching up to pet the cat who lazed across his shoulders, her purrs rumbling loudly through the room. "How are you finding your first few days on the other side of things? Being a professor is much different than being a student, yes?"

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Words: 517
Tagged: LENNA DENDRON
Notes: I just assumed she would walk in. Hope thats okay!

[LENNA DENDRON]

Being on the grounds of Hogwargts again was surreal for Lenna. The last time she had been there, bolting for St. Mungo's was all that was on her mind. The thought of return to become a teacher had keep her up for several nights with excitement however. She had nearly been ready to start teaching a week before scheduled and had grown impatient while waiting.

The truest concern she had was that Lenna wasn't entirely sure just how hard it would be to be in the castle without her brothers again. She had stuck to the usual methods of coping, with novels, trips to the owlery and often going outside at night to watch the stars. She had been relatively quiet for the last few days, but began to open up as her class began. Lenna couldn't help but feel a twinge of the same giddiness the first year and returning students felt.

Developing a teaching style had come relatively easy for Lenna. She was able to determine, fairly quickly, that most of the students in her class actually wanted to learn Medicinal Magic, so she simply taught how she would have preferred to be taught, barring the necessities she had to include in her lesson plans.

With many requirements for her lesson plan came constant revision and adaption. Lenna had been proactive enough to have nearly her whole year planned out already and had decided to take the day to double check her work. The problem, ultimately, had been her great beast, Bellamy. The poor tiger cat had exhausted all efforts in getting his mother to let him explore so he decided to lay on her papers. "Fine, you little monster," Lenna smiled and pressed a kiss to his wet nose. "We'll go out for a bit."

The myths of the teacher's lounge had been particularly popular in the years she was in school. Lenna fondly remembered her younger brother plotting to sneak in, and Aedon helping him perfect the plan, despite her protesting. Cass never made it into the lounge, but Lenna supposed she could let her companion roam while she got to work.

Lenna slinked through the halls, tutting at Bellamy whenever he got distracted by the slightest noise. As if he could read her mind, the cat ran up to the door and chirped impatiently.

Her eyebrows quirked up slightly when she pushed open the doors, surely not expecting to see the Deputy Headmaster. Lenna had made sure to learn her superiors. Whether it was by face or paper, she learned them all the same, and she surely remembered him. "Deputy Headmaster." Lenna smiled softly as she placed her papers on a small barren corner of the table. Bellamy jumped up in a chair, wise enough to avoid all of the work. Lenna slicked down the faint puff in the cat's tail with a quick flick of her wrist. "Very much, yes. I certainly can't say I mind the chance to do a few things my way," Lenna said in a light tone, leaning against the table. "And you? Busy already, I'm sure." She threw a glance at the significantly large amount of paper than her own.

Word count: 531
Tagged: MARCUS LENNOX
Notes: that's absolutely fine <3

[MARCUS LENNOX]

Persephone lazed across Marcus' shoulders, though her strikingly orange eyes were locked onto the second cat to have entered the room. Putting her head on her paws, her tail flicked Marcus in the chin, which he ignored, letting her be the slightest bit territorial. Bellamy was larger than her, if she wanted to fight, he'd let her be bested. If only to learn a lesson in trying to be a stubborn feline and thinking she had to be the queen of Hogwarts castle.

Setting his pen down, Marcus leaned back slowly in his chair, keeping his gaze on Lenna. He hadn't been a teacher long enough to have been a teacher when Lenna had been a student. But he vaguely remembered seeing her in St. Mungo's whenever his job had brought him to the hospital in the last ten or so years. A passing glance, but nothing more. He couldn't actually remember which floor of the hospital he had seen her work, but he did recall at least seeing her.

With Lenna calling him by his official title, Marcus found himself lifting an eyebrow at the young woman. "Please, call me Marcus," he said calmly, "The title is a little too... dry for my tastes," he added as an afterthought, reaching forward to properly straighten up many of his remaining papers that were out of place. "That, or Professor Lennox. Whatever suits you... just not that," a low chuckle escaped his throat. He placed his pen perfectly in the center of the stack of paperwork.

"I can't say that I can blame you, Professor Dendron," Marcus mused lightly, "The freedom to be the one leading instead of following is far more exciting. Even I was elated at the idea of being able to enforce the rules rather than do what someone else told me. Besides, I am off the idea that we take our experiences from our own time here and try to do better than the amazing professors who come before us," he hummed low, reaching back and scratching at Persephone's ears.

"I'm afraid that the work never truly stops. Even in the summer months, I am tasked with keeping the school intact. Not to mention all of the rules and guidelines the ministry sets for some of our more advanced and rigorous classes. I'm sure they also had some materials for you to consider when you were assembling your lesson plans for Medicinal Magic?" That was one of the trickiest things about these classes as they related to the ministry and the hospital. There were rules upon rules and other guidelines that had to be followed. While the classes allowed for a lot of freedom when it came to teaching and teaching styles, the needs of St. Mungo's and the Ministry were particular. But that was the price of adding in classes that would make it that much easier for students to transition into the real world after their years at Hogwarts had ended.

"Besides that, are you settling in alright?"

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Words: 503
Tagged: LENNA DENDRON
Notes: =D

[LENNA DENDRON]

There had always been rumor of the untraveled areas of the castle grounds. While Lenna had half expected to be enchanted by they stories and what reality they hinted at, she wasn't entirely wounded to find out that most of the grounds were... normal. The teacher's lounge wasn't as extravagant as was led to believe by her brothers, not really at all, but she couldn't help the small amount of pride that crept in. Just being granted access to Hogwarts again was reward enough for the hard work she had put in. If only they could see her now.

Her finger's brushed Bellamy's head absentmindedly, occasionally stroking his chin and around his ears, if only to keep her from snapping them. Lenna pursed her lips slightly, still with the slightest up tilt, feeling just a bit the fool. "Professor Lennox, then," she thought it respectable enough at least, a faint grin appearing. Lenna still aimed to be as reverent as she could to the professor, knowing the position he held in the castle.

Lenna found herself finding more in common with Marcus than she had originally thought. She had valued the freedom that teaching had offered, even if it hadn't entirely been her first choice of career. Her heart did favor the chance to provide for students, whilst still being able to shape their interests into something productive, like what had been done for her. The opportunity to plan lessons around her students and how they learned was one thing that had aided her decision to leave St. Mungo's. Now that Lenna was teaching students who were old enough to be thinking about life outside of the school, she had felt the responsibility to teach how she knew the Ministry and hospital needed, not necessarily wanted.

While it wasn't entirely intentional, Lenna let out a huff. "Only a few," she said dryly and having to catch herself mid eye roll. "It felt like days worth of reading through rules and regulations, let along suggested material." The skin in her cheek fell victim to the annoyance Lenna felt, remembering the countless unnecessary materials she had to sort though before finding anything of merit. Luckily, she was able to consult with her former professors and other healers she had become familiar with when she had any doubts. While both the Ministry and St. Mungo's had good intentions with their input on curriculum, they had their own clashing needs than Lenna was forced to balance out.

"I think so," she smiled faintly, "though it seems today is the first we've had to see anything other than a classroom.' Her eyes narrowed on the feline sitting in the chair next to her. Bellamy only swished his tail and chirped at Lenna's eye contact. She smirked and looked up again, resting a hand on the table. "In that regard I do feel like a student settling into Hogwarts once more." That part was the same as it had been over fifteen years ago, only slightly easier this time around.

Word count: 504
Tagged: MARCUS LENNOX

[MARCUS LENNOX]

Marcus smiled and nodded slowly as the fellow professor spoke. She was new, untested, but sometimes that was what Hogwarts needed to keep its doors open. New and exciting. Someone with different teaching styles and who could engage the students in a way that many older professors often struggled. Marcus found this was often because the professors with more experience had become lax in their styles, or simply didn't understand how to tailor to each new year of students that passed through these halls.

It seemed as each year was different. No two years were the same, even from Marcus' own time at Hogwarts, he'd observed this to be true. There was nothing inherently wrong with this, the fluctuation of types of students simply made it a rewarding challenge for teachers to attempt to reach their students in a meaningful way. Marcus was constantly shifting his own class around, and it wasn't because the Ministry made him. No, he was very easily able to cater to what the Ministry wanted for the program, but Marcus liked to test things. What worked for one class session might not work for another.

It all just depended on the group of students.

"A few is often an understatement," Marcus chuckled lightly, twirling his pen in his fingers while Persephone rose to her feet, stretched, and then settled back down, licking one of her paws absently. "What are the St. Mungo's regulations like? I assume that they're as staunch and strict as the Ministry's," Marcus snorted a bit, putting his pen down in order to focus fully on Lenna. "It is almost a little insulting, especially when you're experienced in what you're teaching."

"I'm pleased that you're settling in. If you need to reacquaint yourself with the school, I'd be happy to take you on a tour. I'm sure things have changed since you were a student. They certainly have since I was," he added with a rueful smile. "Though... I don't think I miss being a student. It is much more fun being the teacher. Some say I personally delight in giving too much homework, whatever that means," his smirk was wicked like he knew exactly what it meant. Giving so much work at the beginning of the class was such an easy way to weed out the students who weren't cut out for the Auror program and who weren't going to put in the proper amount of effort.

There was a bit of a pause and Marcus hummed under his breath, debating his words. "I was meaning to talk to you before long, anyway, so I'm glad you found the teacher's lounge. If you give any student a detention or demerit in terms of house points, I'd like to be informed. Not to second guess, but to notate. Some of our older students might try and pull something over on you in order to get out of punishments. It's just easier to know so that the entire faculty can be aware of each situation."

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Words: 502
Tagged: LENNA DENDRON
Notes: =D

[LENNA DENDRON]

Being a new teacher at Hogwarts had proven to be a different sort of challenge than Lenna expected. Lesson planning and required curriculum had been the bane of her existence after she was hired. There were many stressful, and sometimes sleepless nights when she had been trying to perfect her role before the school year started. She had demanded perfection, yet was so new it wasn't feasible. Lenna had put so much pressure on herself, that once she stepped in the role, she was relieved at how well she was adjusting. She could only hope to continue her growth as well as she had, even with the ridiculous requirements she was forced to meet.

”Well,” Lenna smirked, ”St. Mungo's is quite... specific on what they want taught.” Oh how she had laughed when she first began lesson planning. ”While a respectable amount of necessary medical knowledge is included, St. Mungo's, like most hospitals I suppose, wants their history and mission taught in the first few weeks.” She chuffed, folding her arms and shifting her weight over a hip. ”Yet, in your first week at the hospital, they'll spout the same speech at you again.” She just smiled and sighed dramatically, ”anyway, I do enjoy having a structure to follow, though I can foresee myself getting a bit miffed once I'm comfortable teaching.”

She quirked her eyebrow and grinned, reading his face ”Innocent on that account I'm sure.” Normally, Lenna may have claimed that there was too much work to get done or had plans, but she had already been more social today than since she had come back to the castle. ”I would love a tour though. I've already seen a few things that have changed, I can only imagine what else.” If it wasn't for the chance to get out, Lenna's curiosity would be motivation enough to travel the school grounds again. She scooped Bellamy up into her arms, shifting so that she was sitting so that she was no longer speaking down. The cat nuzzled her lap, kneading the soft material of her pants.

Her head tilted as she listened, and for a brief moment she was painfully aware that her eyes had widened. It was only for a second, but she had thought she would have been in trouble. Lenna's brows quirked in relief and she fought not to snap her knuckles under the table.
”Ah, absolutely. I've had no trouble so far, but I'm sure they'll try and take advantage of my inexperience soon enough.” Lenna smiled faintly. In truth, she had anticipated her students to try and test her. She did not, however, consider students to be testing other, experienced teachers. ”You'll be the first to know if anyone is looking to cause disorder.”

”I can't imagine too many students would get so bold this early into the year, would they?” Mischief came later in each of her years at Hogwarts. The excitement of returning had distracted her enough that she had grown bored long after the first introductions were made. Though, she supposed, she was more of a scholar than most of her fellow students.

Word Count: 521
Tagged: MARCUS LENNOX
Notes: ;P