Tapio Devries, the new Herbology Professor, straightened his coat and adjusted his robes before taking his place at the staff table for the first time. He'd worn his formal black boiled wool coat edged in silver embroidery in honor of the occasion, with his newly-acquired teaching robes draped over his shoulders. Tapio knew that, because of his great height, the largeness of his hands and feet, and the harsh, angular lines of his face, he sometimes appeared intimidating to many people. He had grown to compensate for this by an extreme gentleness of manner and low speaking volume (except on those very rare occasions when he deemed it an advantage to be intimidating, usually only in situations of life or death).
On entering the Great Hall, he paused for a moment, taking in the four long student tables, the banners, the floating candles, and above all, the famous magical ceiling which mimicked the sky outdoors. Having gone to school in Russia, all this was new to Tapio and he found it very impressive. He continued on to his place at the staff table, nodding and smiling gently to the fellow faculty members who were already there, until he finally found his seat, next to a man (Simon) who seemed lost in his thoughts. Reluctant to disturb him, Tapio sat carefully down and murmured a low-pitched "Good evening" to him, the kind of courteous greeting that didn't demand a reply. |