A Break from Work (Tag: Eleonora)

It wasn't often that Madison was anywhere in the castle but her classroom and her office, but today she was feeling a bit more optimistic. That and the only thing waiting for her back in her room were lesson plans. She found nothing wrong with a bit of a break in the staff room, six floors below her office.

As she stepped in she flicked her wand, and the coffee machine started warming itself up. While she waited on it, she sat down in one of the lounge chairs and grabbed a copy of the Daily Prophet that was sitting on the table. No doubt tainted with lies and deceit, she thought mildly.

Eleonora was exhausted. Her first working day at Hogwarts was taking a lot out of her. She hadn't really thought about how much effort it was going to take her to give lessons all day. She was hardly used to speaking to one person a day, and now here it was almost all she did.

Wanting nothing more than a nice cup of tea and somewhere to sit down Eleonora made her way to the staff room instead of trudging up the four floors to her office. It was a room she had never been in before, but it seemed cozy, and close, enough. As she walked in she noticed another woman sitting with a copy of the Prophet in her hands. Must be another Professor...I suppose I haven't really met any of them yet.

Eleonora smiled in the womans general direction and slipped a lose piece of hair behind her hair. She hoped the other woman wouldn't judge her somewhat disheveled appearance, she had just been feeding her hippogriffs and ended up a little messy.

As the woman entered the room, Madison glanced up from her paper, looking the woman up and down before returning her attention back to the article she had been reading. She didn't want to lose her spot, when she was reading over the news about Beauxbatons missing Headmaster. It had been a few weeks now, since news had appeared in the paper, so soon they would likely appoint a new Headmaster or Headmistress for the school. His appearance was odd, but the school couldn't be left without a head for long.

After reading through the whole article, she got up and attended to the coffee machine. Perhaps now, it was expected for Madison to greet the newcomer. So she did, as she poured herself a cup of the steaming brew.

"Hello." She looked to the woman with a curt nod of acknowledgment, "Are you a new professor here?" Although Professor Reid lacked the warmth and friendliness most would show, she was at least polite and well-mannered. If this woman was a new Professor, it'd be nice to give a good first impression. Then maybe less people would look at Madison as the crazed History Professor.

The woman across the room looked up at her briefly before returning to her paper. Eleornoa breathed a sigh of relief, happy to be given the chance to relax without getting thrown into conversation. She proceeded to mix herself a cup of tea and sit down at one of the small tables. The warmth of the mug in her hands and the steam rising up to face was a welcome sensation after what she had been doing. The past hour she had been elbow deep in raw meat and hippogriff feathers. They were just starting to fly and needed nearly constant feeding.

As she was settling back, letting her eyes began to droop, the woman in the room walked over to the coffee machine and looked over at Eleonora. She poured herself some of the strong smelling liquid and asked if Eleonra was a new professor. Although worn out from so much interaction already, Eleonora knew it would be impolite to ignore the question. It wouldn't bode well to have the other professors at the school think there was something off about her.

“Yes, I just got here a couple days ago. I'm Eleonora, teaching Care for Magical Creatures this year.” She wondered if it was alright to ask the other woman what she taught, or if she should already know. She didn't want to offend the woman by asking a question she was expected to know.

A new Care of Magical Creatures Professor. It was lovely, not having a freshly graduated student join the staff again. It seemed desperate times called for desperate measures, but not in Eleonora's case. Just by looking at her, she seemed more than capable to teach- she must've just been out with some of her animals. Madison didn't envy her. But she did respect her.

"It's a pleasure. I'm Madison Reid, I teach History of Magic." She gave a small smile, before taking a sip of her coffee, and settling into her chair. Madison would have asked more, but decided she would leave it up to this new Professor to carry on the conversation. She didn't want to conduct an interrogation, after all.

(Pardon for the short replies. xD My writing's been a bit boring lately.)

Luckily Eleonora was spared the choice of asking the woman's position as she introduced herself as the History of Magic professor. Looking at her Eleonora was surprised to hear it. She had always assumed anyone interested in the long tedious histories was inevitability old and quite boring. Yet here was this woman who appeared still in her prime.

History had never been something she herself had much interest in. It was simply too tame for her. Eleonora would rather be out in the fresh air, living each day as it came instead of living it cooped up with a bunch of tomes about goblin wars and witch burning. She didn't intend to let Madison know that, of course, just in case she looked down on her for it.

Madison went back to her and sat with her coffee. So far she seemed to be someone Eleonora could get along with, someone who didn't push conversation or make a fuss. Not wanting to lose the opportunity to possibly become known as friendly and not that weird girl who is always covered in dirt and smells like animals, Eleonora chose to continue the conversation.  

“Have you worked here long? You weren't here when I left school.”

(Not a problem about the replies, I'm just excited to start posting more after just joining!)

(I understand the feeling :P Great to have you on the site! ^_^)

"I haven't worked that long, I suppose, but I have been here awhile. I was hired a short time after Headmistress Naer was appointed," she answered. And considering how long ago Eirina was appointed Headmistress, Madison hadn't been a Professor awfully long. Before here, she worked for Ollivander, and had joined the Order by then as well. But Eleonora didn't need concern herself with that level of detail.

"How long have you been working with animals? The magical sort, that is." As long as this new Professor was asking questions, Madison felt it was only fair to ask her own, all without being considered 'nosy'.

That would explain why Eleonora had never met Madison at Hogwarts. She vaguely recalled the news of new headmistress taking over the school shortly after she had left to enter the adult world. She hadn't paid much attention to it, thinking she would never have any reason to return to the school anyway.

Unconsciously Eleonora tried rubbing away the dried juices from the meat she had been handling off of her hands while she considered how to answer Madison's question. Magical creatures had always been a part of her life, as far back as she could remember. Even as a young child knowing nothing of the magical world she would one day be a part of, Eleonora encountered creatures frequently that she would learn about many years later.

“Professionally, I've been working with them since I left Hogwarts. So, about seven years. I worked in the Ministry's Beast Department until....well, until very recently.” Eleonora wasn't sure why she was so hesitant to talk about her time at the Ministry. It was only the past few weeks since she had left it that she began to suspect what she had been doing there was not as innocent as she imagined.

At this point she wasn't sure how to proceed in the conversation. Never being very good at small talk she had already used up the only question she thought was very important. How long do normal conversations between co-workers usually last? This was something Eleonora was going to have to figure out and get used to. Working in the Ministry she had been mostly left on her own and had no idea what proper etiquette in these situations was. Did she ask another question?

Eleonora looked out towards the window, watching the students ambling around the grounds to buy her time. “I never thought I'd be back here. Did it feel odd for you when you started teaching, too? I'm a little nervous I won't get the hang out if.” She wasn't sure why she was sharing so much with someone she had just met, but it felt kind of nice to speak to the older and composed Madison after a day full of kids.

Madison had plenty to say about the Ministry, but she didn't deem any appropriate in a work environment, especially when speaking to a former Ministry member. What if she was a spy, sent to watch her or the school? Or both? Madison didn't trust easy, but now it certainly wouldn't be any easier.

But that certainly didn't mean she'd treat the girl any differently. In fact, she was even amused by Eleonora as the young Professor expressed her doubts about her new position here. It was perfectly normal, if Eleonora really hadn't ever taught before. Though Madison hadn't either, when she first started here.

After taking a sip of her coffee, she gave a curt nod, and answered, "I suppose it did, at first. Having a rather young Headmistress to answer to, and hundreds of kids to be responsible for; it took some time to adjust. I'm sure you'll adjust, just as I did." Madison smiled once more. The girl may have been new at this, but that gave her a bit of a right to feel unsure.

Eleonora was glad that it wasn't just her who had trouble adjusting at first. To know that this other Professor, who looked to her as someone who had their life together, once had the same nerves that she did was comforting. It gave her hope that her position here would be a good shift from her former work.

She had begun to think that working on her own at the ministry for so long and hardly venturing out into the wizarding world was making her somewhat hermit like. This conversation with Madison was the first since she arrived here that made her feel like the constant interaction with people was a good thing. Maybe she would wouldn't be so afraid of not knowing how to act if she kept forcing herself into more situations like this.

Still letting the warmth of her tea seep into her hands, Eleonora smiled back at Madison. A comfortable silence had fallen as the two women sat drinking and Eleonora didn't feel pressured to break it.

Madsion was pleased that the conversation didn't have to go on and on. She just knew too many people that either thought poorly of her, or pestered her so much it drove her mad. Eleonora appeared different, and now Madison could enjoy the peace and quiet, before having to return to her work.

For once Hogwarts had a staff member that Madison could get along with. She'd be sure not to do anything that might upset this woman, the only one at the school that didn't mind the nice and quiet. Madison smiled as she took another sip of coffee.