She was aaaallllll ears, passing on sympathetic looks while the children tried sorting through their feelings. It was a loaded request, more loaded than some probably realised. Others, though, seemed to understand and choice to not give their take.

It was fiiiine. They had the whole term to work things out!!!

"Oh but of course!!" She replied to the Hufflepuff (nicole black). "Help yourself! We have nutella and honey both on the other end of the table. No tea, I'm afraid but I'll keep that in mind for the next session!!" As there would understandably be more.

That the Gryffindor (Cassirin) had sunk down went momentarily unnoticed because the little Ravenclaw (astrocat) was opening up and it was the sort of confession that required A B S O L U T E L Y all her attention. "And that's okay. Anger is a normal and natural response to what happened, but we'll have to learn ways to channel that anger and eventually how to let it go." How delightful they were getting somehere!!

Not fussing over the other silent partner (Tegz), Poppy focused instead on the first year (Sunflower) who shared her sentiments. "Yes, a truly sad time. Sadness, like anger, is perfectly normal, but again we'll have to work on ways to address it as the term goes on."

Healer Poppy clapped in obvious delight at the next to share (Deezers). "How exciting!! And thank you for sharing. In the midst of all the bad, we must be able to consider the good. Life is all about balance." The claps didn't last long when the Ravenclaw (Chelliphone) began to share. For only the briefest moment, the smile fell away--but it was picked back up just as quickly. "You're entitled to your feelings, dear, and no one will be able to take them from you. However some do find forums of this nature helpful in the healing process. Let's not ruin it for them, hmmmm?"

The next (Watson) had a few to share. "Have as much bread as you'd like, dear." She encouraged. "I find in the midst of feeling helpless, it helps to focus on the things we can change and do have control over. Can you think of any?"

From the next silent students (Imsosikk07, Stefan, Fearlessleader19, iBeJenn, Harron Peasley) to the one who openly protested (Kolyander). Again, the smile threated to faltered but this time she maintained it. "You may leave if you'd like. No one will force you to stay." She gestured back toward the castle not in any way looking for a hostage situation.

Moving oooonnn~

While this was not yet the time for questions, she would indeed provide answers to the Hufflepuff (Bazinga). "I suppose it comes down to the people, dear. To become a ghost, at the point of death, you must be unwilling to cross over. You must fear it, rather than embrace it. Perhaps the fallen have made peace with it. Perhaps we just haven't seen them yet."

Oh and this one (DuckyLinJi) had strong feelings!!!! "It can be frustrating at times, wanting to be let in but being shut out. Perhaps your brother needs space to process all that has happened, then he'll be ready." In time.

"Now now," This one (pundantic) clearly had many hang ups still. "Your professors care a great deal about you. It may not have felt that way in the heat of the chaos, but they did what they believed would keep you safest. I'm sure many of you saw first hand how resistance was handled. They would never want to see any of you hurt." The tales she'd heard, loooooordddd, it must've been terrible.

"And there's nothing wrong with feeling this way." She reassured the young Hufflepuff (Waddles). "There's a lot to unpack, and a lot we still don't know. Answers can help the healing process, so can talking about it." Like what they were doing now. Healer Poppy turned from the Hufflepuff to the Gryffindor (ArianaBlack) with cheeks stuffed so tight they looked borderline uncomfortable. "My goodness!! That you are! Have as much as you'd like."

Ah and there it was, one of the many topics she thought would make it's appearance. Both the Gryffindor and the Slytherin (sweetpinkpixie, MadAlice) raised the issue of trust. "Trust, dears, is a delicate thing. It's hard to win it, and so so so easy to lose it. We'll be in for a term of healing and rebuilding some of that trust, but it will take some work on your part. Being open to the process. Accepting the situation for what it was, a difficult one that called for difficult choices on all sides."

The uncomfortable Ravenclaw (MadMadamMalfoy) caught her attention next. "If you'd like, we can arrange for more private sessions in my office, dear." An offer to all. And then the little dear (PhoenixRising) sent her griiiinnning. "Thank you!! I worked very hard on them. My own special recipe!!"



The first question had been useful. It got the students (some at least) to start opening up, which was an important part of the process. It wouldn't do to have everything bottled up inside afterall!!!

"Good, goooood. Now that we've identified some of what we might be feeling, I'd like us to think about some action plans. How do you think you could overcome the rage or the sadness or the mistrust? What does the road to recovery look like when you're in the driver's seat?"