Gaston returned Daisy's smile with one of his own as he listened to her talk about her summer. "Oh, so you like quidditch?" he said. That was something he didn't know about her! "Good luck in the tryouts! Which position do you play?" He'd never been a huge quidditch fan himself, but he'd seen enough matches in his time at Beaubatons to know the basics.

His expression darkened ever so slightly at the mention of his wife. It got a bit lonely not seeing her around the school every day, but he'd survive. At least she was still nearby. “I’m fine, thank you for asking,” he replied. Well, maybe not fine just yet, but he was getting there. “Prof- I mean, Mrs. Marchand is doing well too. I’ll tell her you asked about her.”

He followed Daisy into the office, gently closing the door behind them. Phantom, the black and white Persian cat, looked at the girl from her perch on the cat condo and gave an inquisitive meow. He took his seat in the large black leather chair behind the desk, but before he could inquire as to the reason for her visit… Blink, blink. A present? For him? He was touched. It was rare that he received gifts from his students.

He smiled, noting the bow and gift wrap in the Gryffindor colors, as he carefully unwrapped the package. Inside he found a beautiful box shaped like a rose. The bloom opened, and it began to play a familiar lullaby. For a few moments, all he could do was stare at it, at a loss for words. He blinked several times and suddenly had to press a hand to his eyes. "I-It's beautiful..." he stammered when he finally found his voice.



Gaston couldn't help but laugh a little. "Well, okay, but only every now and then," he joked with a grin of his own. He was only kidding, of course. She knew that, right? She was always welcome in his office! He followed Olivia into the office and gestured toward the candy dish on the desk. "Chocolate?" he offered.

His expression turned serious upon hearing the reason for the prefect's visit. He thought for a minute. "Well, charms developers are always in high demand," he said. "The Ministry has programs, or if you'd prefer something elsewhere-" And he could completely relate if that were the case; Ministry life wasn't for everyone! "-you can find something through a private company."

The subject changed to spells, and Gaston expected Olivia to ask for another list of spells to practice... or perhaps demonstrate her progress, but that didn't happen. Instead he watched as she reached into her bag for something. Good Godric Gryffindor! More presents? These kids were going to spoil him! His blue eyes widened in surprise, but he was smiling as he took the bottle. La Maison Angelina... now that brought back some fond memories! "I love it - and I know Mrs. Marchand will too!" he said. "Thank you, Olivia!"

He was slightly taken aback by the girl's next words. "There's no need to thank me," he said. "I only did what any decent teacher would do."



Gaston smiled, opening the door wide to let the girl into his office. The greeting in French came as a bit of a surprise to him, though. "Oh?" he said, eyes widening slightly. "Parlez-vous francais?" The answer to his earlier question had him smiling again. "I'm so glad to hear that!" He always worried a little about the firsties adjusting to Hogwarts life. "I'm doing well, thank you for asking."

he resumed his place in the large leather chair and gestured toward the two smaller chairs on the other side of his desk. "Please, sit down. Would you like a chocolate?" he offered, gently sliding a glass candy dish toward her. "so what can I do for you today?"

Before anything else could happen, the little black and white cat on the condo behind the professor jumped down and approached Shera with a meow. Gaston laughed. "This is Phantom," he said, jerking his head toward the cat. "I think she's saying hi to you."