Phew. Regina had smiled and waved at her; that was enough for Celestia to believe that she was in the clear for her almost-late arrival, and to return the headmistress' smile. Her shoulders visibly relaxed somewhat, though she doubted anyone but Ignatius was really close enough to see that. From her colleagues' words, however, it seemed that Ignatius had quite a bit to deal with on his own. She frowned slightly and tilted her head to one side to survey the Potions Master more carefully, but she couldn't see any signs of injury. Perhaps something had happened before she arrived; Celestia hoped it wasn't serious. Several people, including Kaysha on his other side, had already asked him about the situation -- it seemed pointless to add her own inquiry to the others'.

The thirty-year-old witch beamed at each of her coworkers as they returned her greetings, then refocused her attention on the two men who'd asked her about the upcoming term and replied: "Thank you, Roderik. I can't wait to get started! And yes, Ignatius, I'm all set. How about you?" If Ignatius was injured, perhaps she could help him with something.

Celestia tried to focus on the conversations going on around her, but it was somewhat difficult with the length of the table and how spread out they all were. She did manage to notice Roderik offering Regina some sort of Muggle candy, and was just about to ask one of them about it, when she heard Charles' remarks about listening to Fwoopers. She tried not to stare at the man in open disbelief. The former Gryffindor was certainly not an expert in creatures -- well, perhaps crups -- but even she knew better than to listen to Fwoopers. She fervently hoped that Charles was making some sort of joke that she didn't understand...

She turned away from her colleagues briefly to survey the four House tables. A Slytherin girl (Skylar) had chosen to make quite an entrance by flying in to the Hall. Celestia felt the corners of her lips tugging upwards again, though she knew that perhaps she should say something to Laurel about it? The thought of doing so rankled enough that Celestia decided against saying or doing anything; everyone else on staff was facing the House tables, too. Surely someone else would handle this matter. The rest of the tables were soon filling up with a sea of students; Celestia felt another smile spreading across her face as her former House table lost absolutely no time in becoming the noisiest group of the lot. This feast was already bringing back lots of fond memories; Celestia could only hope that it would soon represent the beginning of an equally exciting adventure in her life.