Staff Table

[Felixir]

On a raised dais situated at the farthest point of the Great Hall stands a long table where the members of the Hogwarts staff sit and enjoy their meal while casting a watchful eye out on the four House tables. Each staff member has an assigned, cushioned chair to sit on throughout the duration of the feast, though the more notable out of them all is the throne-like golden chair in the centre reserved for the headmaster.

Keep in mind that you should not be wandering up to the staff table if you are not a staff member before Headmaster Kazmi has delivered his speech. Doing so will result in the loss of points or worse before you've even made it an hour into the term. If you wish to speak with someone seated up here, you will have to wait until after the speech has been said and there is food and drink on all of the tables. Make sure to keep your visit brief though -- the staff were also waiting on the food to appear and are just as hungry as you.

Photos!: Seating Arrangement

(Click image for larger version.)

[Chelliephone]

It was a peculiar thing being back in the hallowed halls of Hogwarts, particularly after such a long hiatus between his school days and his new position on staff. Despite the length of time, Cyril could remember the first time he stepped within those doors as a nervous first year. And now he was entering the start of term as on Care of Magical Creatures professor, after years of breeding winged horses and having worked as a private tutor for families that did not want to send their kids to any of the bigger schools. He’d always enjoyed teaching students one on one, and a full classroom was a new experience that he looked forward to. He couldn’t imagine it would be much different than a lot of his other previous experience, but then again he’d also never handled more than 5 teenagers together at a time.

This could be interesting. Time would certainly tell on that front.

Finding his chair between Jane and Leanne, Cyril settled himself, marveling again at the comfort of the cushions, while he let his eyes roam over the halls and the entering students. He was keeping one eye out for any type of mischief, but also just watching the students and their different ranges of reactions to returning to school. For those who seemed happy to be here, he was pleased to see it. And for those who did not? Well... hopefully they'd be feeling differently a few days in when the nerves of a new term started to settle.

[AlwaysSnapesGirl]

Back at Hogwarts once more, and this time Rosalie was keeping an even closer eye on the Gryffindor table, and not just because her daughter Sera was there among them. If they could get through the Start of Term Feast without any chaos, that would be ideal. She had faith that things would go well, but it never hurt to be prepared for the unexpected. Lightly tapping the fingers of one hand on the table also certainly helped her nerves focus.

Of course, she was paying attention to the Sorting Ceremony too. It was exciting to see the first years and transfer students joining their houses. Not to mention the sooner everyone was sorted, the sooner they could get to the food. She hadn't eaten much that day, having focused on a few finishing touches of clean up in her office, so she was more than looking forward to what the elves had prepared for them.

[Felixir]

Don't get him wrong, Kamran was far from unhappy about his new position - though he was, maybe, perhaps, just a little wary, but only because he knew full well what chaos wonders tended to occur in large magical institutions or densely populated communities, and especially those where teenage hormones also ran rampant.

Not that he was blaming the kids. Much.

No, not unhappy about it at all; actually, Kamran was pleased to have been offered the position. It was just still a little strange, sitting in the throne-like chair which had previously been occupied by Malachi Trent, though it was just one seat up from where Kamran used to sit. The adjustment was bound to be difficult for some. Kamran had known three headmasters here, the other two being Reynard Bontecou and Gaellen Tate, back in his own years as a student, but every single student here had only known Trent as Hogwarts headmaster.

Though there was also... well... Anyway.

With one eye on the sorting ceremony and the house tables beyond, Kamran leaned forward and spoke down the table to Rosalie. "I supposed it would be jinxing matters to use the phrase 'so far, so good'?" he said lightly, referring to those Gryffindors of hers. There did always seem to be something happening at that table, but so far he detected only a reasonable level of enthusiasm, if already wandering into the higher decibel range.

Down the other way, Kamran addressed Cyril, whose presence he greatly appreciated, and definitely not because it made him feel not quite so old. He would deny any such accusation. "Interesting perspective from up here, isn't it?"

[Lissy Longbottom]

Term had been underway for a grand total of ONE - count 'em ONE - hours and he had already had to deal with a catastrophe. He'd been anticipating greeting over-eager first years and had found himself facing a fifth year who had a bloody nose. Probably a bit worse than that but he wasn't going to stop and examine it further when he had a bunch of eleven year olds to escort across the lake. But he'd dropped the kid off at the hospital wing, so as far as he was concerned, he was in the clear now.

As he approached, he heard Kamran mutter something about 'so far, so good' and he frowned a little. "Speak for yourself - already had to hand one off to Mancini for repair before the feast has even begun," he muttered before climbing the rest of the steps.

Only a few of the other staff members were there, so Javier did his usual - greeted them with a small smile and polite nod before quietly going to his seat. He was sitting up a little straighter in his chair, it seemed - he had to admit, he did feel a bit of pride in his new position. It would be super nice to get out of the dungeons, to be quite honest. He'd get lots of peace and quiet patrolling the grounds and making sure it was all taken care of...it was going to be nice.

"Congrats on the new position, Kamran," he added with a small smile at the new headmaster, who had a new position at the head of the table.

[PhoenixRising]

Leanne hadn't been sure what she'd been expecting when she learned of - and accepted - a position on the Hogwarts Staff over the summer. Her beloved sister had taught here many moons ago (probably some of these kids parents). And of course she'd been in a student here as well, and both her children had too, so she knew the sorts of chaos and hormones that ran rampant.

But what she hadn't been expecting was on the FIRST night, before the children students even had a moment to step into the great hall, she learned of an injured fifth year. Setting him up to make sure he was comfortable, as could be, and Leanne assured him that she would return later. There wasn't much use babysitting after him.

She slipped quietly into her assigned seat between Cyril and Kelly, eyes on the students being sorted and instinctively over to the house tables where her niece and nephews sat, before turning to address Kamran and Javier, "Just a broken nose. Although I do wonder how he managed that from just a train ride. These kids have far too much untamed energy."

[Watson]

Kids, he sighed, they were always up to something.

Simon strode over to the Staff Dais after making his usual stop in the Entrance Hall. He noticed the change in seating arrangements and frowned slightly. He’d miss his conversations with Kamran at the feast; however, he was excited for his former co-worker’s promotion. Hopefully... hopefully Kraman wasn’t dreading whatever the castle or the students or frankly both would cook up for them this year. He heard Javier’s and Leanne’s responses to Kamran and smirked. “And to add onto it, Javier and Leanne, I already ran into some lurkers in the Entrance Hall. I may pop out to go check that they all got inside... but there’s mischief waiting to happen for sure... Hogwarts is back in session,” he offered with a chuckle. He smiled at Kamran. “Congrats on the promotion, boss.” He’d be their fearless leader.

He knew his new seat was between Rosalie and June which would be nice. He couldn’t wait to catch up and hear about their families and life. He had been in the same graduating year as Rosalie so he knew her best. And for June.. he hoped this year would be better than last for her. The poor Greenhouse.

However, before he walked over to them, he made sure to stop by the new members of their Staff that they were joining them. He particularly wanted to pick the brains of their new CoMC Professor. “Excited Cyril?” he asked. This was just the calm before the storm just wait for the lessons themselves this term. He couldn’t wait for another rousing discussion of history in between students who were fighting to keep their eyes open.

He then made his way to sit next to Rosalie. “Rosalie, how are you this fine evening?”

[Bazinga]

What a beautiful evening it was. She had not been late, no, just on time actually and stopped to say hello to a few of the students when they had arrived. Taking a moment to speak with Gemma then of course Meda came right to the table, she didn't want to disappoint and not be there when she should.

"Hello, hello, good to see everyone. The hall is looking youthful as always." The students always seemed to look younger and younger, how were these first years even eleven, she swore a few looked no more than 8. To be youthful again, that was something Meda would enjoy.

Taking her seat she looked out at the tables, they all seemed just to be sparkling with new beginnings.

[Chelliephone]

Hufflepuff house had a certain soft spot in Cyril's heart, his old alma mater and that of Anakin and three of his granddaughters. But the Slytherin table was where his eyes kept wandering, looking for the familiar head of his grandson. It was Lucas' seventh year and the last thing the eldest Amstern wanted to do was embarrass him, but it would still be nice to see him. His scan of the table was interrupted hearing Kamran address him. "It truly is. There is a different weight with these chairs, but a lot of excitement." They would get to help the young minds of future generations learn and grow? It was responsibility young Cyril never considered, but he was very ready for it now. "Do things look different from your new spot at the table?"

Seeing Javier appear as well, Cyril returned his polite nod with one of his own and a smile accompanying it. Eavesdropping Listening to the conversation he couldn't help a small chuckle. Start of term feast and the students were already wreaking havoc? What a term this would be. Leanne found her sister as well and added to the remarks of the poor student. "Do you think he'll have to spend his first night in hospital wing or will he be patched up enough for his dorm?"

Attention back to the sea of students, focusing again more closely on the sorting. There was one particular Hufflepuff he made note to check in on later, the poor boy looking quite frightened and overwhelmed. He was looking for any others that might need a check in when Simon spoke his name and once again the gentleman turned his attention. "Good evening, Simon. Quite looking forward to the term! A spirited first night certainly gives us promise of a less than boring first year, doesn't it?" He grinned back at the younger man as he moved on to his seat. Once Meda had joined them as well, he could really only manage a "Good evening!" to her as well before she was off at her seat.

[Felixir]

Different? Well... "I'd say so," Kamran said in response to Cyril, looking out over the Hall as though to confirm. Only one seat removed from where he used to sit, and yet the perspective was very different, though that naturally had little to do with geography. "But an easy adjustment."

Wait.

Kamran could have facepalmed. Absolutely was facepalming in spirit, when he heard Javier's news, and Leanne's confirmation, but he took it like a pro. There was always bound to be something on the first night, may as well make peace with that now. This nose business would need following up, but the student's Head of House would likely have that covered.

"After being stuck on a train with each other all day, I'm just relieved there's only one," he said to Leanne, and then turned to Javier. "Thank you. You as well, of course." That sentiment was slightly tongue in cheek, given the current arrangement, but still genuine.

... Everyone seemed a little too eager to be a harbinger of doom mischief this evening, didn't they? But at least Simon had that one covered, so Kamran nodded. "Good man. Thank you, Simon." Was it too much to hope that the kids would pace themselves? Perhaps it was best if they got it all out of their systems right away, but Kamran wasn't fool enough to think that would lead to a peaceful year. These kids, their chaos batteries were constantly recharging at the best of times.

At least those blasted vines were gone, though he would have felt a lot better if they had some real answers there; he didn't think anyone would be too pleased to hear that the culprit had still not been identified. But they'd get to that soon enough.

"Good evening, Meda," Kamran greeted the Divination professor as she took the seat beside him. He still needed to catch Meda for a quick word, about a letter he'd just received from a parent, but as now was not the time he made a mental note to stop by her office tomorrow. In the meantime, he went on watching the sorting closely, and committing as many names and faces to memory as he could.

[MadMadamMalfoy]

Another year, another feast. After a last minute inspection of the Ravenclaw common room, Norman arrived at the great hall. His aquamarine eyes swept the house tables in search of any shenanigans as he made his way to the dais. So far he saw nothing to be concerned about, just a lot of idle chatter. Speaking of chatter… "Good evening, all," he greeted his colleagues with a polite nod of acknowledgement.

He almost did a double take at the sight of Kazmi sitting in the big throne-like chair. Not that he was surprised by the promotion. It took a lot to shock a battle-hardened ex-Auror like him, and this was hardly unusual. He'd had plenty of time to get used to the change in leadership, yet a part of him still half-expected to see Malachi Trent sitting there. "Congratulations, Kamran," he said.

He took his seat at the far end of the table just in time to catch Simon’s words about lurkers in the entrance hall. “No Ravenclaws among them, I hope,” he said, turning to the younger man. Perhaps he should stop by the Ravenclaw table, just in case anyone needed a stern reprimand friendly reminder. For now, he gave the blue and bronze table a cursory glance before turning his attention to the sorting ceremony.

[Felixir]

"Thank you, Norman," Kamran said to the man himself, looking his way, all the way down at the end of the table. Keen pair of eyes, that one. Helpful for big events like these feasts.

Now that the last of the students had been sorted into their houses, all that was left was to give the speech, before these hungry students started to riot. Kamran clapped politely for the final student and the Hat itself, and got to his feet. He brought his hands together twice more, a little louder, and half raised a hand to draw eyes his way. "Your attention please, everyone."

He waited until he had it, and then launched right into the speech; he had a number of points to hit, after all. "To our newcomers, welcome, and to those returning, welcome back. Some of you will by now have noticed that I am taking over from Malachi Trent as your new Headmaster. I understand it may take some time to adjust to this, but I'm sure we'll all manage. Should you need to visit my office for any reason, it can now be found on the second floor." If you pass the gargoyles, you've gone too far, et cetera, et cetera. "To those who don't yet know, my name is Kamran Kazmi. You may call me Headmaster Kazmi, or Professor Kazmi."

Kamran gestured to his right, down the table, and continued the introductions for the new or returning staff, pausing to allow for applause after each. "Staff changes, then. Professor Devon Conrad will be taking on Arithmancy, Professor Cyril Amstern here will be teaching Care of Magical Creatures, Professor Leanne Mancini will be our new Charms professor and Healer, and Professor Kelly Peabody will be teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts." And over to the other side of the table. "Professor Andrew Burke has agreed to reprise his old position as Flying Instructor this term, and Professor Javier Hernandez has added Groundskeeper to his roles. Gryffindors, Professor Rosalie Applewood will be your new Head of House." And he was... sure... they'd let her ease into the role with no major incidents on the first night.

"I can confirm that our unfortunate vine problem from last term has been cleared up; the last of the vines have been rooted out, and extensive checks have been made around Hogwarts by Curse-breakers and other such experts. They've declared the castle free of any lingering curse." The new students could ask those returning about that if they were curious. Kamran did not want to talk about it, and yet... "The sender of that delightful plant is still being looked into, and we'll keep you updated just as soon as we know anything for certain." The Board of Governors were staying off the premises too, for general peace of mind, at least until it was all cleared up. Kamran thought best to not say so outright. Trust was a recurring issue here, and it was not the norm for the Board to show up in any case.

"Finally, a word of caution. The forest on the edge of the grounds? That's the Forbidden Forest. As the name suggests, it's forbidden. Do not go in there. Just don't do it. Very dangerous, very disrespectful to those who call it home, very likely to end in detention or dinner." They got what he was saying, yes? No? Didn't matter. The instruction was clear nevertheless. If Javier didn't hit them with the detention hammer for stepping foot in there, Kamran would. "Your classes will begin as scheduled tomorrow morning, so I suggest you all get a good meal in, and a good night's sleep tonight.

"Now. Let the feast begin."

Kamran nodded once, and sat himself back down in his throne chair. By the time he had done so, the food had appeared in abundance down the centre of every table.

[Chelliephone]

Heavy was the weight of responsibility. But with his previous work history, the Headmaster seemed well adjusted to being able to bear it. Cyril looked forward to working with the man.

The Transfiguration Professor's arrival got a nod of hello, too far away to really be able to do much more in terms of greeting. Which was acceptable, considering it appeared it was time for the speech. Cyril settled a little more comfortably in his chair, clasping his hands and resting them on his abdomen as he scanned the sea of faces while their Headmaster addressed them. During the introduction, Cyril was sure to paste a smile onto his face and give a small nod towards the students.

Being his first term here at Hogwarts, he'd not witnessed firsthand the events of the previous term but it had certainly sounded like nasty business with those vines everywhere. The curse itself sounded like nothing to be scoffed at, but the annoyance of the green crawlers all over the school? That sounded trivial in itself. He was certainly glad that business had been cleared up prior to his arrival. And the fact curse breakers had already swept through was an encouragement as well. Utmost safety for their students he could tell, and the uninvolvement for awhile of the Board of Governor's was just another precaution that seemed apt to take at this time. Hopefully that would give the students some peace.

As Kamran finished his speech and sat, the table filled with food in front of them as well as the other houses and the man eyed it all hungrily. But before he dug in, he did have a question for his seatmate. Attention turned to Leanne, "So Leanne, did I hear that you were part of the curse breaking efforts at the castle over the summer?" He thought he might have heard something of that nature, but it was always best to hear it straight from the Abraxan's mouth, he never knew when his years would fail him.

[Samia]

June was not late. She had merely been .....occupied. Because while last term she had left this table quite devastated, she was more than eager to be around Hogwarts again. There was just so much to do. So, not at all caring about what it may do to her heart - if the greenhouses were compromised again, and Kamran Kamzi was forced to give the order of burning them down, June was putting in alllll her heart and effort to rebuild the place. It was exactly what she had been occupied with as well before it was time to absolutely show up.

She didn't miss Kamran's speech either, she had just slipped into her seat when he began. And what a speech it was.

When he was done, she smiled at him in greeting and more, "a very good start from you, Headmaster Kazmi"

Now. Food and back to work?

[Watson]

To Kamran, he nodded. “You got it boss.”

Simon offered his elder, Cyril, a grand smile as he showed off those pearly whites of his. He chuckled. “It’ll be an eventful year. Pranks, candies, and all. I’m sure the students have a lot of pent up energy to release.” His eyes drifted from his colleague to a commotion at multiple tables. The Ravenclaws were much more talkative than he remembered. Norman’s comment caused him to smirk. “None of the culprits were Ravenclaws. Don’t fret, Norm,” he said as his eyes drifted back to the Ravenclaw table. “Mostly Gryffindors and Slytherins. You’re table looks quite active…” The students were basically buzzing around with excitement.

Kamran’s Start of Term Feast kicked off and he looked to the once empty chair to find June there. As she settled, he gave her a warm smile. “Welcome.. welcome.” He whispered before the speech began. He liked not having to be introduced this year.. He didn’t have to awkwardly wave and say “G’day”… Merlin he had thought that he would never live down such a moment but he was somehow able to… For now. The speech was concise and to the point. Mentions of the plant and the unknown sender. This riddle still bothered him. If he had some time next week, then he’d go poke his head around the castle to see what he could find. He couldn’t help but glance at the Gryffindor and Slytherin tables at the mention of the Forbidden Forest. Yes, students from the Hall…. You all seem like the type to flirt with danger and the rules. He’d have a lot of essays this year on his desk to read.

And then the speech was done!

“June, good summer I hope?”

[aRogueOne]

All of the teachers look so…scary, sitting there, eating their food and talking like normal people. Hooper almost faltered for a moment as he walked up to the table, his best friend in tow as he did so. He wasn’t sure if anyone was watching him or even paying him the remotest bit of attention but he did his best not to care. He was on a mission to save his friend from a life at Hogwarts without him.

As he got to the end of the benches, Hooper turned towards Parker and gulped. “Ready?” he whispered, checking to make sure that Parker wasn’t going to back out and backdown which wouldn’t have surprised him because this was scary stuff. Turning towards the table, he stepped up onto the raised dais at the furthest point of the great hall and headed straight over to stand in front of the headmaster, the expression on his face a mixture of both determination and worry. Was he about to save his friend from being alone in Hufflepuff or was he about to get thrown out of school? Who knew?

Awkwardly, the first year waved his hand in front of himself at the headmaster to try and get his attention and then stared into the dark brown eyes of the headmaster, unflinching in his question and yet, his expression portrayed someone with both worry and timidness unintentionally. “Umm…Excuse me, Headmaster K-Kazmi? Sorry to uh…umm…bother you while you’re eating. I just, I need to speak to you.”. Hesitating for a moment, he waited to make sure that the headmaster would actually listen to him and not instantly dismiss him straight away before continuing. “My friend, Parker,” gesturing to his friend standing behind him, “He was supposed to be sorted into Gryffindor with me and not in Hufflepuff. He asked the hat and it…made a mistake and now he’s all alone.” Gulping, Hooper took a breath and ploughed on before he lost all of his conviction, “Parker is my best friend. We’ve been friends since before we even knew about Hogwarts and magicians and wands and everything. Pl-please could you put Parker in the same house as me?” and for the briefest of moments, the young Gryffindor’s eyes sparkled as if threatening tears but thankfully, the dam and his tear ducts both held as firm as his determination.

Looking back again at Parker, Hooper quickly gestured for him to say something and argue his case further although he wasn’t exactly sure what else Parker could say.

[natekka]

SPOILER!!: Hooper aka Sad Boi #1

Quote:

Originally Posted by aRogueOne

All of the teachers look so…scary, sitting there, eating their food and talking like normal people. Hooper almost faltered for a moment as he walked up to the table, his best friend in tow as he did so. He wasn’t sure if anyone was watching him or even paying him the remotest bit of attention but he did his best not to care. He was on a mission to save his friend from a life at Hogwarts without him.

As he got to the end of the benches, Hooper turned towards Parker and gulped. “Ready?” he whispered, checking to make sure that Parker wasn’t going to back out and backdown which wouldn’t have surprised him because this was scary stuff. Turning towards the table, he stepped up onto the raised dais at the furthest point of the great hall and headed straight over to stand in front of the headmaster, the expression on his face a mixture of both determination and worry. Was he about to save his friend from being alone in Hufflepuff or was he about to get thrown out of school? Who knew?

Awkwardly, the first year waved his hand in front of himself at the headmaster to try and get his attention and then stared into the dark brown eyes of the headmaster, unflinching in his question and yet, his expression portrayed someone with both worry and timidness unintentionally. “Umm…Excuse me, Headmaster K-Kazmi? Sorry to uh…umm…bother you while you’re eating. I just, I need to speak to you.”. Hesitating for a moment, he waited to make sure that the headmaster would actually listen to him and not instantly dismiss him straight away before continuing. “My friend, Parker,” gesturing to his friend standing behind him, “He was supposed to be sorted into Gryffindor with me and not in Hufflepuff. He asked the hat and it…made a mistake and now he’s all alone.” Gulping, Hooper took a breath and ploughed on before he lost all of his conviction, “Parker is my best friend. We’ve been friends since before we even knew about Hogwarts and magicians and wands and everything. Pl-please could you put Parker in the same house as me?” and for the briefest of moments, the young Gryffindor’s eyes sparkled as if threatening tears but thankfully, the dam and his tear ducts both held as firm as his determination.

Looking back again at Parker, Hooper quickly gestured for him to say something and argue his case further although he wasn’t exactly sure what else Parker could say.

The Great Hall was, admittedly, a very large room, but it seemed even larger in this moment, and the walk from his seat to the staff table seemed unending. Parker was trying his very best not to check whether people were looking at them. He could hear their excited conversations and the scraping of cutlery on plates, and it would seem logical that they were actually all in worlds of their own, but his nervous mind told him otherwise. What if they were laughing at them? Two silly, clueless first years.

There was a moment when he thought that his best friend might stop and his heart gave a little hopeful hiccup, but he didn’t stop and before long they had reached the end of the benches.

This was it.

Parker gulped and nodded as convincingly as he could when Hooper asked him if he was ready, even though he was definitely NOT ready and he knew that Hooper knew that too. What if they got in trouble for interrupting the Headmaster while he was eating and they got kicked out of magic school on their first day! That would be terrible… But, again, he reminded himself that this was important, and so he followed Hooper up to where the Headmaster sat.

The awkward first year stopped clumsily at Hooper’s right shoulder, shuffling a bit so that he was slightly behind him. He hadn’t realised at first that Hooper was waving to get the Headmaster’s attention, so he gave a little wave too. If you thought you saw Parker first bow slightly to the Headmaster, no you didn’t. He then let his best friend do the talking. Parker nodded almost continuously as Hooper spoke and, as he had instructed earlier, fixed his best pleading puppy-dog expression on his face. Truth be told, though, he didn’t really need to try to look this way because as he listened to his best friend argue their case, his bottom lip started quivering. He sniffed loudly. He wasn’t, it MUST be noted, crying, okay?! But his nose had started running. Quickly, he wiped his nose with his sleeve, only to go wide-eyed and red when he realised what he had done. The Headmaster was going to think he was disgusting and rude and had no respect for his uniform! Oh no! Oh no oh no oh no.

"Y-Yes. Please, sir," he begun nervously when Hooper gestured to him. "I told th-the sorting hat that I was in Gryffindor but it must not have heard me properly. It put me in Hufflepuff by accident." He didn’t know what else he could say.

"…Please."

[Felixir]

Just having finished piling a healthy helping of vegetables onto his plate, Kamran looked down the table to his left and sent a small smile back at June. Small only because he was not a terribly smiley person, though not an unhappy person either. And not without manners.

"Thank you, J-... Professor Flamsteed," he said, diverting halfway through, because out of the corner of his eye he noted two students on the approach. Unexpected, as he had not yet witnessed a student approach the staff dais at a feast; back in his own day as a charming young Slytherin, kids flocked here so frequently it almost seemed a case of magnetic attraction.

Scratch that. No science. Please.

Kamran gave both new students his full attention, setting down the fork he had only just picked up and folding his hands on the tabletop instead. He recalled their faces, but the names had already faded into a general memory that both had been called with the Rs. Both seemed nervous (was that a bow?), which he supposed was understandable, approaching a table full of staff on their first night at school, to ask the headmaster to... Ah.

"I'm afraid the Sorting Hat's decision is final, as much as it is tradition," he said firmly, though not unkindly, looking from one young face to the other. "It's unlikely to have made a mistake. The Hat doesn't necessarily take preference into account; evidently it saw a very good reason to put you into Gryffindor, and you, Parker, into Hufflepuff." Sorry, children, but sad puppy-dog eyes did not have a high success rate where Kamran was concerned.

"I cannot change either of your houses, but I assure you that neither of you is alone, and you can still spend much of your free time together. There are plenty of students here whose friendships remain strong despite being placed in separate houses. Siblings too, for that matter." Kamran might even say that, in some cases, it rather helped to have that time and space away from each other. But he opted not to say that part just yet.

Instead, he braced for more tears.