It was starting to become a bit of a tradition for David to visit this office, and this year was no exception--- with or WITHOUT his BFF Char. Of course, he could always sneak back in here with her, now that he had the password, but not today. Today was a personal visit. And don't ask him how he got the password.... he just did, okay?!

After riding the stone staircase up, David paused outside Prof--- HEADMISTRESS Moxley's door and hesitated. To knock or not to knock? That was the question. He was leaning toward the latter, since he knew Heads had their ways of knowing who was in or outside their office anyway, and plus, it wasn't like he was a stranger to this place. Yes, he'd just go in.

Like a little mouse, Davie quietly opened the door to Moxley's office and peeked inside to see if she was around. If not, he could come back later.

Moxley was definitely around. Having an office this big was amazing because it meant more space to store stuff and who didn't love stuff, right? Most recently the Moxinator had taken to ordering rubber ducks for her vast collection and sending said orders and money to her sister who would send away for them the good old fashioned muggle way. Her latest purchase being a little yellow guy dressed as a pumpkin. How CUTE was that? Perfect for October and if she acted now, she'd have it in her office by then! Dream BIG, Mox.

Noting a visitor had arrived, the brunette stood up and carefully tucked the catalogue she'd been browsing inside her copy of Magical Discipline: Turning children into toads isn't always the solution. ...Had to keep up appearances.

"Mr. Truebridge, what can I help you with?"

AH SHE WAS HERE!

A startled David almost turned around and lost courage when the booming voice of the new Headmistress caught him at the door. "Uh-- uh--uh---" he stammered at first, pushing his way into the office as though the door was excessively heavy. (It wasn't.) Logically, he shouldn't be afraid of this, but emoti--- WAIT, why was she reading a book about discipline?! Moxley wasn't big on discipline! She told jokes and made them do Muggle sports! OH NO! She'd changed! She was Headmistress now and in the process of becoming the Headmistress she had changed!!!

He swallowed the lump in his throat and croaked out the first thing that came to mind: "Please, call me David...." followed by: "I w-w-was wondering about Muggle Studies this year?"

"David, please have a seat." The kid looked like little Simon from Alvin and the Chipmunks which was adorable, but not something she'd be mentioning to him or his mother. The Moxinator was smarter than that, okay? She gestured with her hand and then took a seat once more, comfortable. They were about to discuss her favorite subject, after all.

"Can you be a bit more specific?" She smiled, curious. Also why didn't he seem more enthused? Muggle studies was exciting stuff!

More specific... more specific... right, and a seat. David came closer to the Moxinator's desk and took a trepid seat in front of it, right on the very edge. "Well, you see, Profess--mistress, Miss Headmistress, I am not very good at Muggle Studies." He let out a low little sigh, as though he had just exhaled a very good secret. And now that that was out there on the table, he could elaborate a little. "My mum isn't either. Neither is my dad, well, I think sometimes he is, but we don't really go on Muggle adventures, so I don't know much about them." Pausepausepauseforthought.

"And anyway, I was wondering, how you came to be good at Muggle Studies? And how I could get better at studying Muggles? Without, you know, like, riding the Tuber or anything. And beyond just what we learn in class, which is a LOT, but still very confusing, to me anyway." He'd TRIED to look up at least ONE thing about Muggles to impress the Head, see, and that one thing just happened to be about the underground train the Muggles all rode. Because trains were cool.

Moxley's smile was a reassuring one as she listened to the Claw go on about his muggle studies troubles. They were understandable and the fact that David seemed interested in learning despite his confusion said quite a bit. And yes, the mention of the trains earned a Moxley grin. Good on him for coming prepared.

"The thing I've always loved most about Muggle Studies is that it enables us to see that muggles are driven by the same basic needs that we are and their methods of satisfying these needs are often inventive and extremely interesting. I also like that studying muggles makes my appreciation for magic so much greater. I don't take my ability for granted." So the passion was there and necessary for success. "Start by finding a muggle object you're interested in. Research it. Try and figure out its function and then make a connection to something we use in the wizarding world that is similar. Making connections, that's what Muggle Studies is about. Once you've found that common ground, I think it'll come easier to you."

Could he tell how much she loved teaching this subject? She LOVED it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TakemetotheBurrow

Moxley's smile was a reassuring one as she listened to the Claw go on about his muggle studies troubles. They were understandable and the fact that David seemed interested in learning despite his confusion said quite a bit. And yes, the mention of the trains earned a Moxley grin. Good on him for coming prepared.

"The thing I've always loved most about Muggle Studies is that it enables us to see that muggles are driven by the same basic needs that we are and their methods of satisfying these needs are often inventive and extremely interesting. I also like that studying muggles makes my appreciation for magic so much greater. I don't take my ability for granted." So the passion was there and necessary for success. "Start by finding a muggle object you're interested in. Research it. Try and figure out its function and then make a connection to something we use in the wizarding world that is similar. Making connections, that's what Muggle Studies is about. Once you've found that common ground, I think it'll come easier to you."

Could he tell how much she loved teaching this subject? She LOVED it.

Could--could he get out his pocket notebook and write all this down? Davie's eyes were growing wider by the second. He hadn't considered these finer points of Muggle Studies, and was suddenly wondering why he'd been so afraid to ask Miss Moxley anything. He should have come to her office LAST year, really. She was SUPER smart! The stuff about needs and not taking magic for granted--- it was brilliant! Well done! What a speech!

"Yes ma'am, a Muggle object. Like your...." He looked around the room, briefly, so certain that Moxley had a collection of something... he just couldn't quite recall what it wa--- "ducks?" Yes, she collected ducks! "Okay! That's a fine idea, professor. Making connections. Yes. Do you know if we have any books about or by Muggles in our school library, that you would recommend I check out?" Sure, he could ask Mr. Kitridge that, but he was here now, and he'd already embarrassed himself in front of one adult today by seeming ignorant, so he didn't really want to embarrass himself in front of his Head of House too.

"EX-ACTLY!" Or well, the ducks probably weren't the best example of interesting muggle items as they weren't everyone's cup of tea but they were something that fascinated Moxley and so it worked well enough for her. As for the books, the brunette gave a little wiggle in her seat because he didn't need to go to the library for those! Silly Simon David, the Moxinator had you covered!

On her feet now, the headmistress held up a finger signaling the Ravenclaw to wait just a sec and she went to sort through a few things. Hadn't exactly got around to cleaning the place what with learning the ropes and all, 'kay? No judgement, please.

It had to be around here...."Oh! Here it is!" The book was huge, covering the entirety of Moxley's head which was large, of course, because of how big her brain was. Ahem. It was also quite thick, filled with pages and pages of the worlds most noteable muggle items and their functions. This would certainly be useful to Mr. Truebridge.

Moxley dropped the book on the desk causing a loud and unnecessary THUD and then looked at the boy with a smile. "The World's Most Marvelous Muggle Items for the Curious Wizard. Fascinating read and one that will hopefully open your eyes to the wide world of muggle creations." Surely the boy had tons of time to read for leisure. It wasn't like he was at school and completing assignments or anything....... HEH.

"Once you've found something you're interested in, you should stop by the muggle artifact maze. You might just find that very item in there and you can try and use it, depending."

Quote:

Originally Posted by TakemetotheBurrow

"EX-ACTLY!" Or well, the ducks probably weren't the best example of interesting muggle items as they weren't everyone's cup of tea but they were something that fascinated Moxley and so it worked well enough for her. As for the books, the brunette gave a little wiggle in her seat because he didn't need to go to the library for those! Silly Simon David, the Moxinator had you covered!

On her feet now, the headmistress held up a finger signaling the Ravenclaw to wait just a sec and she went to sort through a few things. Hadn't exactly got around to cleaning the place what with learning the ropes and all, 'kay? No judgement, please.

It had to be around here...."Oh! Here it is!" The book was huge, covering the entirety of Moxley's head which was large, of course, because of how big her brain was. Ahem. It was also quite thick, filled with pages and pages of the worlds most noteable muggle items and their functions. This would certainly be useful to Mr. Truebridge.

Moxley dropped the book on the desk causing a loud and unnecessary THUD and then looked at the boy with a smile. "The World's Most Marvelous Muggle Items for the Curious Wizard. Fascinating read and one that will hopefully open your eyes to the wide world of muggle creations." Surely the boy had tons of time to read for leisure. It wasn't like he was at school and completing assignments or anything....... HEH.

"Once you've found something you're interested in, you should stop by the muggle artifact maze. You might just find that very item in there and you can try and use it, depending."

Exactly! David beamed a bit at that word. He couldn't help it; he was trained to adore praise from adults. He raised his brows a little as she got excited about something and started digging through her boxes. Wow, she really had gotten hired at the last minute; those rumors were true! And then she produced pretty much the BEST THING EVER to a Ravenclaw's eyes....

"What a giant book you have!" the second-year declared in equal parts admiration and wonder. "Is that like... a dictionary of Muggle items, for wizards?!" He didn't even recoil as the book landed on the table with a thud. No no, he leaned in to get a better look! LOOK AT THAT! He was on a streak of borrowing books from professors; first there was Myers, and now there was Moxley! THIS WAS SOOOO COOOOOOOOL!

Yes yes yes, David DID have a lot of time for reading. Never mind homework and classwork and friendship and all that average stuff; if he looked like a stereotypical Ravenclaw, it's because he WAS. He was itching to get his fingers on it already. The boy nodded, absorbing the professor's suggestion to stop by the artifact maze in her old room too. "Thank you, Pro--- Headmistress. This is a GREAT idea." He was confident it really would help him. He just had one small suggestion, and his cheeks were reddening again because he was going to have to ask it.

"Is the--- is the book very heavy? Could you possibly put a featherweight charm on it for me, Miss?" He knew he was supposed to be a young man and all that stuff but he wasn't very strong still... and he was only five feet tall...

"Precisely." Ravenclaws and their books. By the look on his face, you'd think David Truebridge had just won the Quidditch World Cup and his enthusiasm was amusing and refreshing to see. No doubt about it, her precious book would be in good hands.

Eyeing the book, the Moxinator considered his question. For a gangly thing like Truebridge, it probably was going to be heavy. Moxley wouldn't know anything about that since she was all muscle mostly muscle... some muscle...... but she could help a student out because that was her job, after all. "Good thinking, David. Now I'll just need to find my wand..." Which was somewhere on her desk, along with all kinds of papers, quills, and inkwells. Not exactly the most organized space but the muggle studies professor liked to say it was orgnized chaos.

"Ah, here it is." The brunette muttered the spell and with a wave of her wand, she smiled. "All set for you to borrow it. I'm sure you'll find it helpful."

Quote:

Originally Posted by TakemetotheBurrow

"Precisely." Ravenclaws and their books. By the look on his face, you'd think David Truebridge had just won the Quidditch World Cup and his enthusiasm was amusing and refreshing to see. No doubt about it, her precious book would be in good hands.

Eyeing the book, the Moxinator considered his question. For a gangly thing like Truebridge, it probably was going to be heavy. Moxley wouldn't know anything about that since she was all muscle mostly muscle... some muscle...... but she could help a student out because that was her job, after all. "Good thinking, David. Now I'll just need to find my wand..." Which was somewhere on her desk, along with all kinds of papers, quills, and inkwells. Not exactly the most organized space but the muggle studies professor liked to say it was orgnized chaos.

"Ah, here it is." The brunette muttered the spell and with a wave of her wand, she smiled. "All set for you to borrow it. I'm sure you'll find it helpful."

Yes, David Truebridge had just won the Quidditch World Cup of Muggle books, of sorts. He grinned and watched the professor-headmistress attempt to find her wand, still super excited to get to reading. "Wish I knew accio so I could help you out, Mrs. Moxley," he added super helpfully. But he didn't know that spell yet so he was just going to have to wait and twiddle his thumbs.....

And there, all done now. David stood up to pick up the book, immediately delighted at how lightweight it was, and how GENIUS he must now look, lugging around a big book like this. He was ALL MUSCLE, girls folks. BIG MUSCLES AND BIG BRAIN. Just look at him. He lifted stacks of books like this EVERY NIGHT OF THE WEEK. "Thank you again, ma'am!" the second year chirped from behind the book, bearhugging it as he were. "I'll take VERY good care of your book AND I'll let you know what I've read in our next Muggle Studies class!"

But he wouldn't take up any more of her time today, because his questions had pretty much all been answered. David made for the door, remembering just one more thing on his way out. "Oh! My mum told me to tell you GOOD LUCK with the new job!" You know, Headmistressing. Not that the Moxinator would need the luck... nothing weird EVER happened at Hogwarts. With that, Davie was gone down the spiral staircase.

Oliver headed up the staircase after he had been invite in. Despite his determination not to get off subject in this meeting, he was distracted as he walked in to the office. He had never been there before, this year or last year under its previous inhabitant. He had only ever reached as far as the outside of the door after the incident with Flamsteed. So he looked around for a moment before remembering why he was actually there.

"Good morning Headmistress." Was it still morning? Yes. He didn't think it was noon yet. What was the protocol here? Could he sit? Was he supposed to wait for her to invite him to sit? He figured he could probably sit, it wasn't like meeting the queen. She may have been Headmistress, but she was still just professor Moxley. So Olly sat. And looked up at Moxley with a concerned expression.

"Professor, do you know why Noelle Summers didn't come back to Hogwarts? Did her parents withdraw her?" Was that even something she was allowed to reveal? Olly didn't really care, but he hoped there wouldn't be too much of a problem getting the answers he wanted.

"Good morning, Oliver." Moxley smiled at the Slytherin over her teacup, curious as to the reasoning for his visit. He looked so serious which was quite amusing considering his age. Amusing until he spoke. She was actually surprised none of the other students had come to her before now.

"I can tell you that her parents haven't withdrawn her, Oliver. Past that, I haven't got too much information to share." Could share, more like. Still, he looked so worried. "How about some tea?"

What? That was horrible news. Olly had been operating under the assumption that she had been withdrawn from Hogwarts. Hoping that her reason for not coming back had been voluntary. Or mostly voluntary. At least approved by her parents. Hearing that it was not was unexpected. And devastating. His mind whirled through many horrible possibilities of what could have happened to her. Hopefully none of them were true.

"Thanks," he said. Olly sat down across from Moxley. Tea sounded good. Hopefully it would be calming. "You don't know why she'd not here? She hasn't answered any of my owls. I'm getting really worried about her, professor." So were a lot of other people. Whether the Headmistress didn't know or just couldn't tell him, he was hoping that something about her presence would at least offer some comfort.

Moxley busied herself with fixing the boy some tea, noting how worried he was. She felt bad, she did, but she didn't have many answers to give and she wasn't sure offering up that fact would make him feel any better.

Holding out the cup of the steaming hot liquid and gesturing to the sugar and milk that had been set out on her desk for her own tea, the Headmistress shook her head. "It's not that, Oliver, and your concern for her shows what a wonderful friend you are. Please rest assured that Ms. Summers will be back here as soon as she can be." Which would hopefully be sooner than later. Moxley, too, was waiting for news on a few children and the not knowing always tied her stomach in knots.

"Thank you." Olly managed a small smile as he took the cup from professor Moxley. He added sugar, probably more than he should have considering the amount of energy and lack of focus he already had on most occasions. But today was different, so maybe the extra sugar would do him good.

He just nodded at her words as he absentmindedly sipped his tea. He was feeling a little bit better just by talking to an actual adult. Everyone he'd talked to about her disappearance so far had been other students his age, so it was nice to talk to an adult. And the Headmistress at that, who probably knew everything. If she thought Noelle would be alright, then Olly had to believe it too.

...she, Katherine Moss, was in the Headmistress' Office.

Not because she was punished, even. She was here, because the Headmistress had allowed her to. She was allowed at the ultimate place in Hogwarts.

Her excitement was very visible in her eyes.

"Good afternoon, Headmistress," she said as she could barely contain herself from turning her head to everywhere to note the details. Like the books (the books!!!!!!!!!!!!!) and the ducks and the weird music thing (she had to look for that imagine to know what that object is to impress the woman next time) and the - okay, no, she had to focus on the woman. It was rude to inspect the room while she was here. She had to cut this one short and maybe next time she would be invited in for her success.

Ellery was a bit nervous, a bit excited, and a bit tired. But even her sleep deprivation was not enough to distract her from the fact that THIS WAS THE HEADMISTRESS'S OFFICE!!!!!!!!! Eeeeek! She eagerly devoured the room's details with her eyes, roaming around the room.

Where was the headmistress though, hm?

Haddie nervously climbed the stairs to the Headmistress' office. All thoughts of telling the Professors how inefficient it is to need the password in order to let her know you needed the password to speak with her, faded away as she ascended.

When she reached the top, she stood there, nervously playing with the sleeves of her uniform. Okay, so maybe she did come to Moxley's office voluntarily to speak with the Headmistress, but it still didn't feel that way. Haddie had been in principal's offices and over the last year, Headmasters' offices plenty of times, but never voluntarily. It was a Pavlovian response now, that feeling of being in trouble. Half of what Haddie had decided upon saying was abandoned now that her usual bravery was replaced with the sense of impending punishment.

Haddie looked around at the office, everywhere but where Moxxy was. She avoided looking there entirely while she waited for the Headmistress to speak. She was particular drawn, with ample confusion, to the collection of rubber ducks. Why would there be a collection of rubber ducks... well, anywhere? But especially why would there be one in a school Headmistress' office. She wasn't sure what to make of that, which made her more nervous.

Wait... what was the procedure when she wasn't being summoned for whatever mischief had happened? Was she supposed to speak first? She took a deep breath and relaxed. Then Haddie cleared her throat and spoke directly to the Headmistress' right shoulder. "Good, uh... Good evening, Mox... um, Professor Moxley..." She realized it, and managed to get her eyes as high as the Headmistress' cheek. Oh, yeah, this was going oh so well already. That was sarcasm in case anyone missed it.

Meredith watched the boy as he piled sugar into his tea. His poor parents would be dealing with a boat load of cavities if this is how he always took it, that was for sure. Tooth problems aside, she felt quite bad for him. She imagined it was terribly frustrating not knowing where or what was going on with a close friend. Moxley could relate, as she was feeling the same frustration. Too many unanswered questions but she had faith in the ministry and they were on the case.

"You know what might be nice? Maybe you could copy your notes for her so that when she gets back, she won't be behind. I'm sure Noelle would appreciate it." And sometimes keeping busy helped.

"Hello there, Miss Moss." The headmistress watched as the first year inspected her surroundings, having had the same reaction as she was moving some of her things in here. It was a historic place in the school and many amazing people had frequented it. She could hardly blame the girl for being interested.

After a few minutes, the brunette settled back in her seat and cleared her throat. "Why don't you take a seat and tell me what it is you wanted to talk about."

The headmistress was doing a bit of dusting when the Gryffindor arrived and though she was out of sight, sneezing could be heard. She'd always been a fan of muggle cleaning tools as using them gave her a greater sense of accomplishment but this feather duster was doing a number on her nose. Merlin.

Setting it down, she wrinkled her nose and headed into view. "Ellery, hello." She was getting quite a lot of visitors lately, Moxley was. Her fan club must be growing.

Meredith was rather amused by the Ravenclaw's entrance as she'd been the one who'd requested a chat in the first place. The brunette was half temped to freak her out more by pretending she was, in fact, going to give out some form of punishment for an imaginary infraction but she refrained. Best not to freak out the children too much, Moxley.

"Hello, Miss Denaker." Gesturing to the seat opposite her, Moxley smiled. "What can I do for you?"

Hadley nodded and took the offered seat. The chair was quite comfy actually, which was almost as surprising to Haddie as the rubber ducky collection. She was at a complete loss as to what to make of the Headmistress. A complete loss.

Haddie took another deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. "I want-" No, that wasn't the best way to say this. "I need to be resorted." There, that was the better way to put it. After all, it was the Sorting Hat's mistake. It had said she'd fit in with Ravenclaw, but it was clear that first night she never would. Resorting was more than just wanted, it was needed.

Ellery shifted her gaze back away from the bookshelves (her fingers were ITCHING to look at some of the old, tattered copies) back to the headmistress. At Moxley's invitation, she sat gingerly in the chair in front of her, which was nice and comfy and everything she imagined it to be.

Now that she was here, she felt a bit guilty reporting her findings and observations about the Divination teacher. After all, it was Moxley who appointed her, yes? "I-uh…was just wondering…um…how the divination curriculum was going to be this year. The professor seems a bit…" Evil? Scary? "…eccentric."

Well, she certainly hadn't expected that. The headmistress sat back in her chair, hands clasped in front of her. The was no resorting but she didn't divulge this information right away, instead wanting to hear the girl out.

"And why do you think that is?"

Oh Merlin, the Divination Professor. Moxley had her doubts about the woman as well and everytime she took a stroll on the grounds and passed her tent, she got a uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. Was she suspicious? Yes. Had she looked into it? She was on the case. Was she going to tell any of this to the students? No. HELLO, new headmistress here. She wanted them to trust her judgement and she'd let the divination professor stay, after all.

"Eccentric is an accurate word to describe her, yes." Among others... "I can't say for certain, Ellery, but I'm sure you'll find the lessons interesting. Divination has so many branches to explore, after all."

"I don't belong there," she stated plainly. Now that she'd gotten her request out, started the dialogue with the Headmistress, she was more relaxed. "The Sorting Hat was wrong. It said I'd fit in there but I don't. It's pretty obvious I don't. Most of the house avoids me because I don't fit in, or worse. Not everyone, but most." Standard, really. Don't be seen around the outcast, and people won't treat you as one. Social self-preservation. She paused, focusing on the rubber ducky collection. "I thought it'd be different at Hogwarts."