Having opened the door to the students waiting to speak to her, she sat down and waited for them to enter.

From the corridor:

Sierra was still standing quietly against the wall when the sudden sound of Lafay's voice drew her attention to the office door. She pushed herself quickly off the wall and just watched as her Head of House began speaking to the students in line.

You? So Sierra was just a 'you' now? Not only that, she was called into the office with the entire lot of people at the door. She wouldn't normally mind, but she had gum and spit in her hair, and she imagined the conversation that was about to follow was going to be an embarrassing one for her.

She looked Lafay in the eyes for a very split second and then nodded slowly. A few seconds later, she edged herself past the group waiting and then walked into the office. She swallowed hard and the said, "Hello, Professor Lafay." She knew better than to not greet the woman, though she looked down rather than at the professor.

Wist Ebony was is awe of the Potion teacher. She had heard some stories about her from the other students, and she started wondering if they were true.
She didn't exactly know how you were supposed to address teachers at Hogwarts. At Durmstrang, sometimes you had to bow. So Wist wasted no time in making a quick bow and then she stood up.

"Sit." She said glaring. "Where have you been?"

"Well?" She asked the girl getting impatient, "What is your name?"

Everything about this office made Sierra feel sick to her stomach. She backed up, moving herself toward where she knew the chair was, but still never once looked up. In a strange sort of way, she didn't even feel like she was in the same office she'd visited so many times before. It all felt foreign, which in turn made her feel suffocated again, and she just wanted to run.

She caught her breath three times before finally speaking. "What do you mean?" she asked. "I came right here after the feast." Why did there have to be other students present right now? Sierra had this feeling similar to the world around her spinning wildly out of control, and the fact that these emotions were being left wide open to others unsettled her. What were they in here for, anyway? To say hello?

Wist replied "I am Wist Ebony, I was at Durmstrang for less than a year before being moved here. I same to say...hello." She started sounding a bit awkward now. "I am looking forward to the lessons."
Wist also noticed how the other student seemed unhappy about something. She wondered what that was about.

That's it. She wanted to slap this girl. "You know what I mean, Miss Greingoth," She went to the cupboard and removed a vial of potion. "Use this while washing your hair. It'll come out without pain..." Pity...

"Now answer my question," She said about to lose her composure... she took a breath and calmed down. "Where were you prior to the feast?"

"Very well Miss Ebony, I hope you are up to date on the basic potion making skills." She didn't know who the potions master at Durmstrang was, but he better not have been a pushover. Letting kids get away with little information.

Sierra finally looked up. "You're right, I do know what you mean," she said, a pleading sound in her voice. "...but now?" Her brown eyes flickered in the direction of the other girl who'd come inside. The one who, like Sierra figured, just wanted to say hello. "Professor, please."

She accepted the potion and put it safely in her pocket. "Thank you," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

The professor's tone indicated that she didn't want to be challenged, though, so Sierra closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, letting it out slowly. With her eyes still closed, she said, "Prior to that, I was on the train, and prior to that I was in Japan. Then prior to that, I was in a room at the Leaky Cauldron." She paused and added, "Prior to that, I was in San Juan, Puerto Rico; and finally, prior to that, I was at the place I used to call home."

She opened her eyes and looked up then, her eyes watering with the threat of tears.

Isabelle walked into the professors office her arms full of potions supplies for her bone regenerating potion. "Professor, would you happen to have dragon marrow from a Peruvian Vipertooth and unicorn horn powder?" Isabelle asked politely. Otherwise there would be no way she could make her potion. "I am making the bone regenerating potion and those were the only ingrediants I wasn't able to get from home and your storerooms," Isabelle smiled in a hopeful way.

Wist nodded. "Yes, I learned the basics of potions in my year at Durmstrang. I will try my best at the lessons. Okay...well that's all I came to say." She didn't know if she was supposed to wait for Lafay to send her out or not. She again wondered why the other girl was here, but she shrugged it off.

Japan and Puerto Rico? "You must really think you can pull something over on me. And YES." She said angrily, "Now!" She aimed her wand and shot a spell towards the chair, pushing her into the corner. "Stay there." She said menacingly and stood from her own chair. "Do you know how worried your father was? Do you wish to see all the owls he sent me asking if I had made any progress on finding you."

She narrowed her eyes at the girl. "I do..." she said and went to her private stores taking just enough to brew the potion correctly. "I will require the potion when you are finished. And be careful not to waste these, they cost a small fortune." She then handed her the ingredients.

"I'll be the judge of that..." She said narrowing her eyes, "You've said what you came to say... you may go now."

Sierra barely had enough time to gasp and start fumbling for a reply when she felt some sort of impact on the chair. The next thing she knew, the chair had shot backward, taking her with it. She promptly shut her eyes, preparing herself for whatever else might come out that wand.

She heard nothing else besides the sound of Lafay's voice. "...but I told you the truth. That's where I've been," she finally got out, her eyes wide with surprise. "I didn't think you cared. I didn't think he cared." She took a few deep breaths and chanced a look around the office. Why did the others have to be here? Now of all times?

"My--my..." She wasn't sure what to call her mother now. Not mother. "Her parents live in Puerto Rico. She pushed me into the floo and took me there. Then one day, at the Leaky Cauldron, I escaped and hid under the staircase. I came home after a while and went to a room reserved in my father's name. I stayed there a night or two." She wasn't sure how long. The last few weeks were blurring together in her mind. "I ran into a friend's father there. He was on his way to Japan, and...and he took me with him. I've been there ever since." She took in another breath before adding, "Ask Kurumi. She'll tell you..."

"You..." She... WHAT?!?!

"You went with a stranger? To..." She swallowed, "Japan?"

"Wait... You went to Kurumi Hollingberry's home in Japan?" She seriously expected her to believe that? She took a piece of parchment out and wrote a quick note, charming it to fly out and find Prefect Hollingberry.

Entering the office, Marcelo scanned the room quickly, taking a note of its simplicity. She was a practical woman, obviously. He also eyed the chair in front of her table for a moment, but decided it was better that he sat when she told him to do. Instead, he smiled at her brightly. Hopefully, this wasn't the wrong time to visit her.

"Hello, Professor Lafay," he bowed a little. See? Not only had he learnt her full name qucikly, but he also pronounced it perfectly. Success for a Brazilian. "I am João Neves." Hopefully, she wouldn't try to nickname him too. If even she would attempt that, he was done with the name João.

"I came here to introduce myself and ask a few questions, if you might allow." Was that language polite enough?

Isabelle smiled as she took the ingredients into her arms with the rest. The professor would require the potion. Well that would mean Isabelle had to ask her next question. "Professor, do you think you would be able to check to make sure the potion is correct, and then may I take it to the nurse for her to use on patients. That was why I planned to make the potion," Isabelle said unsurely. "I will be sure to not waste them."

A stranger...

That was the first time Sierra had stopped to think about the danger she could have put herself in. It wasn't like she had any other choice, though. "Nobody at home wanted me anymore," she explained, "and when I found Kurumi's father at the Leaky Cauldron, the only thing I could think about is how loving and kind Kurumi is to everyone. I thought that maybe, just maybe, things might be the same at her house."

She stopped talking and just watched as Lafay took out a piece of parchment. Where it was heading, she didn't know, and she didn't ask either. She guessed she'd find out soon enough. "I was hoping they'd want me, or at least let me stay there until school started," she continued. "I thought that school would be my new home, but ever since I've come back, nothing's really gotten easier on me." If anything, it'd just been more of the same.

Kurumi had been jogging around the Black Lake when an owl had appeared out of no where and flapped its menacing wings in her face. Walnut had been the most displeased, even took a swat or two at the owl, but Kurumi's reflexes had been quick enough to scoop the feline up before any tail feathers were lost. It wasn't an owl she recognized, so she assumed the letter from from her father - probably about ten pages about how proud he was of her.

However, upon opening the letter, Kurumi saw the words "Hollingberry, My Office. NOW." coldly etched in it and no signature at the bottom, Kurumi knew who it had to be from and quickly send Walnut back to the Gryffindor common room - no way he was getting turned into newt too.

Kurumi nervously made her way to the dungeons and finally...the Potions Mistress' office. -gulp- She took a deep breath before ever so slooooooowly opening the door and peeked her head in.

Sorry Professor Lafay, you were not going to get a non-stuttering Hollingberry right now.

"Y-Y-You wanted to s-s-see me, Professor?" she asked. Her eyes fell on everyone else in the office and stopped when she saw Sierra.

o______________O

What in Merlin's beard was going on?!

"I'll allow," She said thankful a polite student was in her presence. "Introduce yourself Master Neves, and be quick about it, I think I will have to be administering a detention soon." She said.

"Did I stutter?" She said turning her anger on the child. "Did you not hear me say 'I will require the potion when you are finished' child. I have a potion that will clean your ears. You will not give it to the nurse, you will turn it into me." The vein in her forhead seemed prominent now...

"Oh for Merlin's sakes." She shook her head. "Your father not only wants you... He needs you." She said still angry. "She was just outside the door..." Hecate said. "I had to lie."

"Seriously Prefect? Does the badge mean we do not knock anymore?" She said glaring, "and stop that incessant stuttering, or I'll stop it for you. You are a Prefect, act like one." She said motioning her in to the office.

When the door suddenly opened, Sierra turned her head to see who the newest visitor was. This person, she assumed, was the person Lafay had sent the message to. She kept her eyes fixed on the door until it opened wide enough for the visitor to come inside. "Kurumi?" she half-whispered then he eyes flickered to Lafay. She'd sent for Kurumi?

Lafay's voice drew her out of her thoughts about Kurumi. She narrowed her eyes in thought as she took in her Head of House's words. In light of everything that had happened to her in the past few weeks, she wasn't sure if she believed what she was hearing. She didn't think Lafay would lie to her, but none of what she was saying made any sense. Why would two of the strongest people she knew back down to her mother? Why would they even care about lying?

She sat quietly as she waited for the conversation with Kurumi to begin.

Oh, thank Merlin she allowed him to ask a few questions and his introduction had been polite enough. This was his first every day at Hogwarts, after all, and he surely didn't want to remember it as the day he argued with his own head of house, a very respectable woman.

Nodding to show he understood, he said "Well, I want to ask first if you know whether goblins can read minds or not." Maybe he should be asking that to the CoMC professor, but Professor Lafay seemed to be an expert on reading minds and he wasn't up to going on a search for the CoMC professor he didn't even know how s/he looked like.

"And... at my previous school, I had been taking advanced potions. Could I continue that here, with you?"

Kurumi's body went rigid and it took all of her composure to not allow her jaw to drop or to run as fast as she could out of the office. She was treading on thin ice already with this women and her eyes glanced towards Sierra again. What had she told Professor Lafay? That the prefect had tortured her over the summer? It was the little she-snake who had appeared out of nowhere and, against her better judgement, Kurumi hadn't said anything against her.

Her gaze returned to Professor Lafay...who was quickly turning back into Dragon Lady.

"F-Forgive me, Professor Lafay," Kurumi said, catching her stutter as quickly as possible. "Your owl sounded urgent and I assumed." She was going to just stop there before she quite possibly literally dug her own grave. She remain standing, seeing as all the seats were taken...unless she was supposed to sit on the floor...

Put Gryffindors in their proper place or however the Potions Mistress thought.

"I ONLY teach advanced potion making to the students. My students need to learn the basics on their own." She said rigidly. "And I would not know if goblins can ready minds, I'm the Potions Mistress, not a creatures expert, I can only tell you their blood is used in all sort of potions."

"You thought wrong." She said rolling her eyes, "Courtesy should never be overlooked. Tell me," She said glarng. "What exactly happened last week." She asked not giving any details. "Do not lie to me, I am not above using other means to extort the truth." She warned.

Isabelle nearly took a step back but stayed standing grounded. This potions misstress was certainly not as nice as her Beauxbaton one. Professor Burry of Beauxbaton loved the idea that Isa was helping the nurse. "I am sorry Professor, I was just asking one of the questions I originally intended to ask," Isabelle said firmly. "Of course I will bring you the potion when I am done."

"Good, go, and brew it correctly." She said.