Gaston hadn’t been waiting at the front for long when Miss Fairfield arrived. He beamed at the Slytherin prefect as his eyes followed her to the refreshment table. “Good morning, Miss Fairfield,” he replied, but his expression changed slightly at the question. He should’ve realized it was only a matter of time before someone asked what was inside the box. So he gave the only honest answer he could without completely giving away the surprise. “Just some supplies for the lesson.”

Here was another Slytherin who made a beeline for the refreshment table. Miss McKinley’s reaction to the sweets made Gaston smile. This was exactly why he offered snacks at the start of every class! A little generosity went a long way… “Hello, Miss McKinley,” he greeted her. “You’re very welcome!”

Miss Holden was the next to appear, and her warm smile earned her a beam from the professor. That was just the kind of positive attitude he liked to see! “Hello, Miss Holden,” he said. “I’m quite well, thank you.” Well, maybe “quite” was stretching it a bit – he’d lost a bit of sleep lately trying to get to the bottom of the dorms being ransacked – but he was as well as to be expected given the circumstances. “And you?” His expression turned concerned. He knew it must’ve been a traumatic experience for her and all the other Lions.

Miss Swann arrived only moments later, and she too earned a smile from the professor. Was he just imagining things or did the girl seem a bit off today? He was concerned but didn’t want to pry. “Good morning, Miss Swann” he greeted her. “How are you today?”

And here was Mr. Carter. He didn’t seem as shell-shocked as he had when the dorms were ransacked, which the professor was very glad to see, but he looked a bit… sleep-deprived. Gaston could relate. “Good morning, Mr. Carter,” he greeted, eyeing the boy with slight concern as he helped himself to some of the hot chocolate.

Gaston noticed Miss Kramer looking up at the bubbles on the ceiling as she arrived. She was curious, good. He half-expected her to ask questions, but to his surprise, she didn’t. Oh well, she’d find out what the bubbles and boxes were for soon enough; they all would. “Hello, Miss Kramer,” he said, smiling at the Hufflepuff prefect.

And here was another student examining the strange additions to the class, though Gaston thought Mr. Erikson appeared more confused than curious. “Hello, Mr. Erikson,” he said. He was going to explain that the bubbles and boxes were going to be used in the lesson, but the boy’s next words cut him off before he had the chance. His reaction to the snacks made the professor beam. “Thank you,” he replied sheepishly. He didn’t think he’d done anything special, but it was nice to be appreciated.

Gaston smiled at Miss Chosen, but his face fell at her halfhearted greeting. What was wrong? Was she sad? Tired? Had he done something to upset her? He couldn’t think of anything off the top of his head, so that probably wasn’t it. “Hello, Miss Chosen,” he said. The girl perked up a lot at the sight of the snacks, and that made the professor smile. “You’re most welcome!”

Miss Dimple arrived soon after. Her reaction to the bubbles was a bit unexpected but nonetheless adorable. Gaston beamed. “Hello, Miss Dimple,” he replied. “We’ll be using them for an activity later.” He wondered if she would react just as enthusiastically once she found out what they were doing with the bubbles… or at least he hoped she would!

Miss Cambridge’s mood seemed quite a stark contrast to Miss Dimple’s enthusiasm. Gaston wondered why. Was she still upset with him about what he’d said earlier in the year? He honestly hadn’t meant to be discouraging; he was just shocked and on edge at the time. He felt a sudden pang of guilt at the memory but stil greeted her with a warm smile and polite nod. “Hello, Miss Cambridge.”

Mr. Dooley came in moments later, and he too appeared curious about the bubbles. Good… The professor gave him a warm smile as he walked into the room. “Good morning, Mr. Dooley,” he said.

Ah, here was Miss Diggory! Gaston beamed at the girl’s cheery greeting. He could always count on her to keep a polite, positive attitude in his class! “Good morning, Miss Diggory,” he replied, his eyes following her as she took her seat.

Miss Dalgaard-Volkova seemed a bit… off today. Gaston quickly noticed that it had taken her longer than normal to acknowledge him, and when she did, her smile looked distracted. He’d been worried about her since the dorms were ransacked, but this was enough to send his overprotective dad professor instinct into overdrive. “Good morning, Miss Dalgaard-Volkova,” he greeted, giving her a sympathetic smile.

And Miss Dalgaard-Volkova wasn’t the only one who appeared distracted. The professor couldn’t help but notice that Miss Peale was unusually quiet today. She hadn’t said anything to him upon arrival, but at least she had taken some hot chocolate. That was a good sign, right? “Hello, Miss Peale,” he greeted her.

Now this was a surprise - and not in a good way! Gaston had come to expect a smile an an enthusiastic greeting when Miss Sparkes arrived, but this morning she wasn't her usual happy, talkative self. He assumed it must be because of the events over the past months, but still, it had him really worried."Hello, Miss Sparkes," he said with a concerned smile. This hawk business had to stop, and he made up his mind then and there that he was going to get to the bottom of it! He hated the effect it was having on his students...