Another glorious summer had come and gone and the smile Wilber wore was unparalleled. His desire to travel all but obliterated in the wake of Clove’s passing, he had decided to put his big boy shoes on and don his most colorful pocket squares and revisit one of her favorite destinations: Marbella. He did not travel alone, of course, as it was a requirement that Earl be by his side whenever possible, but there had been a couple of hours of rough waters. Posing for a picture together, the delightfully charming young witch holding the camera had been counting down to “uno..dos..” and then the demiguise was suddenly gone and vanished without a tres. It turned out that Earl had spotted a nearby bush with too tantalizing to resist leaves that had to be savored immediately, but Wilber did wish the demiguise could have done so without his invisibility switched on.

His pleasantly sunkissed skin made his greying hair look even more like freshly powdered snow as he ascended the dais and hobbled his way behind the other’s chairs towards the headmaster’s position in the center with greetings of ‘good evening’ and tender pats to each’s shoulder as he passed. All but Marion, that is. “Oh fiddlesticks. I plum forgot to ask the house elves to distribute the jams and marmalades I procured for you all during my trip over the holiday,” he lamented loudly as he flopped into his seat with a muffled grunt. “Oh well, no matter. Seeing as the little dears are all jammed up this evening with feast preparations, I shall see to that in the morning.”

And perhaps Peeves had been behind the mysterious disappearance of one of his juggling balls last term. It would be very much like the poltergeist to play such tricks on an old but spritely man such as himself.

Wilber’s eyes twinkled out over the Great Hall and sighed contently. He would wait just a bit more before he stood to give his ceremonious start of term speech.