How he always ended up being one of the firsts to the feast baffled him greatly, but here he was! Bumbling Schmoe in all his not-so glory. Dawned in robes of DEEP blue for his ~ravenclaws~. He was looking forward to a quiet sorting ceremony, a quieter feast, and an even quieter term where everything would surely be normal and there would not be any ghosts to possess students or once-in-a-lifetime storms or visits from belligerent Hogwarts founders, or mean french people.

He thought about all these things as he stumbled his way over to the table and sat down at his assigned seat. Seeing as no one else was around yet, he pulled out his newest purchase and decided to give it a whirl.

Not even a second in and uhhhhhhhhh...

Oh. Would you look at that?

Err... It appears that his fingers were..... StUCK?????? (Which was a very terrible thing for your fingers to be when you needed them to EAT food).

Camilo stared open-mouthed at the magnificent evening sky as he wandered up to the staff table. It looked like there was no ceiling at all, and he would have grabbed his broom and kicked off from the middle of the hall if he did not know that the ceiling was in fact bewitched to look like the sky. "Beautiful, beautiful ..." he muttered under his breath.

Of course, this was not his first evening at Hogwarts - he had arrived AGES ago to begin preparing for the new term. So part of the *gasp*s and "wow"s were just for the dramatics, but entering the great hall for the start-of-term feast did give him renewed excitement. He would be seeing the students for the first time, and that was something he looked forward to. He was aware that there were some great flyers and sports players in this school, as well as students who were eager to learn and improve. He hoped he would make a good first impression, which was why he chose to wear a set of formal robes instead of his usual sportswear.

"Good evening, Professor Schmoe. What have you got there?" He greeted the Muggle Studies man with a chuckle on his way to his assigned seat ... right beside Headmaster Trent's golden throne. Grinning, he sat down and glanced around the hall. The students and the rest of the staff would be arriving anytime soon!

Was this where Neva thought she’d be at this point in her life? Not for a second. She was meant to be engaged, bettering charms, and living somewhere far warmer than this, but some things just didn’t go to plan. She blamed Malcolm Creed for that. Men...

Speaking of- ”Evening Gentlemen.” She was being generous as the jury was still out on her coworkers, one of which reminded her of a very large toddler. She eyed the contraption he was toying with curiously as she eased herself into her chair and then turned her attention to the hall. It was beautiful, if not a little old fashioned. Part of the castle’s charm, she supposed.

If this had been a normal social gathering, Shreya probably would have been fashionably late. But this was no ordinary event. This was her first opening feast as a Hogwarts professor, and she wanted to make a good impression. So, the former Ravenclaw had allotted plenty of time for primping beforehand. She had even chosen her outfit the night before—an exceedingly rare occurrence for the fashionable potions professor.

Dressed in shimmering black robes and sparkling jewelry, Shreya made her way into the Great Hall, stopping for a moment in the entryway to soak it all in. Had it really been over 20 years since she last dined in this room? In some ways, Hogwarts had changed, but in so many others, it was exactly the same.

"Good evening, everyone," Shreya said with a nod to her coworkers. Beaming, she took her seat toward the end of the staff table with a flourish. "Finneas, wonderful to see you," she said to her former housemate, who was seated to her right. Her eyes glanced down curiously at the odd contraption wrapped around the professor's fingers. Always a bit of an odd duck, that Finneas.

As Gabi approached the staff table, her eyes were immediately drawn to the fact that Trent was...not there. That was highly unlike him. Usually he beat everyone to the feast. She hadn't heard any word of him resigning, but given his attitude last term, she wouldn't have been surprised if he had just decided to NOT come back and hadn't bothered to tell anyone. The Trent she knew when she had gotten hired would never have done that, but she also hadn't imagined him banishing a ghost into complete nothingness - and that had happened less than a year ago.

Her eyes quickly took in the new staff members and she FULLY intended to introduce herself when her eyes settled in Schmoe, and she found herself sighing heavily with an eyeroll. "For Merlin's sake, Finneas, I'd like there to be ONE term where I don't have to treat any fellow staff members in the hospital wing," she grumbled, sitting down and glaring at him while also pulling out her wand, ready to vanish that blasted finger thing if he needed her to.

Was she a bit irritable? Yes. She had a whole new group of colleagues she had to get to know, AND their Headmaster, who was supposed to be their fearless leader, was no where in site. When he DID show up, he was probably just going to be in a foul mood. So yes, she had every right to be a little bit grumpy.

Oh, right, the new staff members! She paused and turned to the her left and then her right, plastering a smile on her face. "Hello all! Gabriela Recard - History of Magic and Healer," she introduced herself pleasantly to them. Short, sweet, and to the point - she'd be much more up for chatting once the feast got underway.

June Flamsteed was all smiles as she entered the great hall. It was GOOD to be back, and she was honestly surprised she felt this way. She had not thought teaching would be a thing she would enjoy but .... clearly she had been wrong.

Passing a smile and there, she reached the dias and found her way to her seat - next to Schmoe, who she gave a friendly nudge - and tried not be surprised that he was yet again stuck in his own predicament.

"Hello, hello, hello" Gosh, just LOOK at all the new faces up there. "Good summer, everyone?"

Norman would be lying if he said this is where he thought he’d be at this point in life, not that he was complaining, of course. On the contrary, it seemed that after years of setbacks, things were finally looking up for him! He had his daughter in his life now and a steady teaching job at one of the most prestigious wizarding schools in the world… so why was he so on edge? He’d battled dark wizards before, so surely a little feast should be nothing!

Absentmindedly tugging at the sleeve of his bluish-green dress robes, he entered the great hall to see his colleagues already seated at the dais. Holy hippogriffs, he wasn’t the last to arrive, was he? Nope, he noticed a couple of empty seats as he approached, one of which belonging to the headmaster. Thank Merlin! A reprimand from the boss was not the way Norman wanted to start his first term teaching at Hogwarts! “Good evening, all,” he greeted his coworkers with a polite nod of acknowledgement, and wasting no more time, he took his seat at the far end of the table.

Norman had every intention of introducing himself upon arrival, but he was soon distracted by the man a couple of seats to his right (Finneas) and the… interesting contraption on his finger. What purpose that thing had at a feast was beyond Norman, but to each their own, he supposed. Eventually curiosity got the better of him, and he asked, “Any particular reason for the finger trap?”

Had she been late? She didn't think she was, but seeing everyone at the table already made Cassie wonder. Time had just slipped away from her as she cleaned out her storage room for this term. Her heels clapping the floor as her small frame moved a bit quicker she realized that the headmaster wasn't there and slowed. If he hadn't been there yet, she was not late.

"Good evening everyone." She gave a few of her snaps and smiled at her fellow professors. "Lovely evening to have everyone back isn't it? I always love the smell of a new term." Yes, there was a smell to it, maybe it was the food, or the fresh clean children, but there always seemed to be a smell.

"How has everyone's day been. All ready to jump right in and get started?"

William actually was late, only he had a good reason: the first year boats. The firsties this year seemed.... well, a little more capable than the group that were now second years. No one had fallen in, no one had high-fived or tried to hug the giant squid, all was good. He'd even already stored the boats back in the boathouse before making his way up here, doing his best to shake off the few water droplets and lake spray on his jacket as he walked into the Great Hall.

But where was Trent? Seriously? He'd been hustling outside here, hoping to come in to steaming plates of food, and the Headmaster... wasn't even here yet? William grunted as he dropped into his seat beside the new Charms professor.

Right, she was much better-looking than Piers. "I'm William," he mumbled her way, picking up his goblet and casting aguamenti on it so he could get a drink at least. "Any sign of our fearless leader?"

Time to put names to faces.

"Those robes are beautiful, Shreya." Though Neva thought them more appropriate for a ball than an opening feast. The potions professor was confident, that much was clear. Perhaps liked to garner attention. Neva noted these things as she offered the woman a polite smile.

The healer's arrival was amusing to say the least. She gave off an authoritative vibe. The wear and tear of terms past seemed to be showing, particularly in the way she'd responded to the muggle studies professor, and Neva brought a soft hand up to cover the smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. She'd been correct in her assumption that Schmoe was an adult-sized toddler, then? Hmm.

"Neva Peralta. Charms." She followed Recard's introduction, a reminder to her coworkers in case anyone had forgotten.

June Flamsteed was cheerful, wasn't she? She had an energy about her and Neva suspected she was easy to get on with. She was also the woman to see about plants, which the brunette loved but also somehow always managed to kill in one way or another. Perhaps she'd have some suggestions for her. "Busy summer, but that always seems to be the way, doesn't it?" That was a lie, though Neva told it so effortlessly that no one could think otherwise. She'd spent the summer alone, thinking up ways to make the man who'd broke her heart regret the decision every day for the rest of his life.

...That was normal, right?

Carton was someone Neva would be getting to know. She fully planned on talking spells with him at some point, curious to see what he'd be covering this term. She also thought it wise to have someone to confer with over students, particularly those struggling with casting.

The snapping though. Neva raised her eyebrows some, watching the dainty Divination professor settle into the seat beside her. Cassiopeia Kitridge was small but something told the brunette that her personality more than made up for it. "Looking forward to meeting the kids, mostly." She admitted, her eyes shifting towards the opposite end of the hall.

"Neva," This man was in charge of creatures, yes? And the grounds. "No, actually. Is it customary for the Headmaster to make an entrance at these feasts or?" Because if that was the case, she'd be packing snacks in the future.

Finneas was tug, tug, tugging his fingers apart, which only seemed to make the predicament tighter and more uncomfortable. In fact, he only stopped all the tugging when he saw the flying instructor making his way towards the dais. Ho, ho, ho. Heh, heh, heh. Nothing to see here! ”A fancy finger trap! I purchased it off the E-BAY.” He was the TOP bidder. An accomplishment on its own, surely! ”Would you like to try it?” He offered Camilo with a smile, though errrrrrrrr… Finneas would need to figure out how to get it off first.

Yes.

No time for that quite yet, however, as others seemed to be trickling in as expected. The first being their new charms professor. ”And good evening to you!” He bobbed his head awkwardly in greeting. It was a shame that Pierson would no longer be sat with them, but errrrrr… AnYwAy. Little time to dwell as he had to return to the awkward behavior that usually took over when a former classmate appeared. ”Errr.. Good to see you too, Shreya. How, er, does it feel to be back?” Had she seen their former CoMC professor turned colleague yet? Would she feel just as weird about it as Finneas still did?

So many questions. So little time.

O___o ”Hospital wing!?” He jumped up, looking at Gabriela as if a deer caught in wand light. Er. ”No need for that, the finger trap is very easy to get out of! You just er…. You… Just…. Errr…” He tug, tugged, tugged some with no avail. Errrrrrrrr.

”Heh. Just a bit of fun to pass the time!” He piped up nervously in response to the question thrown his way by one of their newest arrivals (Norman), though he was still trying to get himself out of the predicament to appease Gabriela. The only issue with this particular bit of fun, however, was that he was having a bit of trouble… Errrr… Getting it off. So much trouble, in fact, that he hadn’t even noticed the arrivals of his other colleagues.

No such luck however, which meant there was only one thing left to do. Phellytone a friend. ”June,” he smiled sheepishly, leaning in to whisper to his friend. ”Do you think you could... help me? I’ve, er, found myself in a bit of a ….. delicate situation.” If his hushed voice did not make it evident, his reddening face surely must have shown his embarrassment.

Finger trap, huh? Camilo didn't really know what that is - it must be a Muggle thing if it could be purchased off eBay. He practically grew up as a Muggle until he learned about the magical world, but was clearly unfamiliar with some Muggle toys. Shame that he spent most of his childhood playing sports and not puzzles. "I'd love to, thank you. Let me know when you're done with it, will you?" he said in response to Finneas's offer with a nod, still blissfully unaware of his predicament.

As his fellow teachers took their seats, Aguilar greeted each of them politely, "Evening, Neva. Good evening, Shreya." It looked like some of them knew one another from when they themselves were students here at Hogwarts. How delightful! He would also love to return to Castelobruxo as a teacher someday, but was too fond of this foreign country to leave anytime soon.

The seat to his left was soon filled by the History of Magic teacher. He was never good at the subject - though he could memorise an admirable number of historical facts and figures about broomstick models and sports - he was more interested in her other specialty and wanted to speak to her about it briefly. "Gabriela. I'm Camilo Aguilar, flying instructor - I have to say, I'll try my best to not send injured students to you, but you know kids can be dumb, especially when they're flying. I apologise in advance."

Also apologising in case HE ends up in the hospital wing, but she did say that she did not want to treat fellow staff members. He should be fine. He only slipped from his broom and broke a bone ONCE in the past year.

"Busy summer for me too. Getting this job, U14 Quidditch, traveling with my partner - we went to Bali and it was lovely," he replied happily to June's question. If he had ANY idea what Neva was thinking, he would have felt terrible for flaunting his good relationship in front of a heartbroken colleague. And then he would have helped her brainstorm ways to make her ex-lover regret for the rest of his life, because that's what friends coworkers do, right?? (Better for him to stay clueless then.)

He continued to greet the others who were arriving: Norman, Cassiopeia and William. The arrival of the groundskeeper meant that all staff members were present except Headmaster Trent. Feeling slightly uneasy and annoyed by his tardiness, a frown crossed Camilo's features for a short moment, before he shrugged it off and leaned across the empty center seat to address Cassie. "I'm totally ready to jump in, or as I say more often, ready to kick off." Like kicking off from the ground to fly, y'know?? "How about you? Do you anticipate a fine year ahead?"

By the way, he wasn't just socialising, he was also keeping an eye on the students. He was slightly nervous and VERY excited to see them at last! He was also concerned that some of them did not look too happy to be back at school. Perhaps they were already dreading homework and exams. Well, they would feel more optimistic after a scrumptious feast and a good night's sleep. A name, or rather, one surname and two names in the sorting ceremony caught his attention. "Flamsteed ... are they related to you, June? Both Gryffindors, I see." he commented to the Herbology professor.

The large double doors to the Great Hall burst open with a flourish, their large frames banging against the wall on either side. Was it a great gust of wind? The next second proved elsewise as the Headmaster made his way into the room and up to the dais.

Without a word to any seated at the dais, the man took his spot at the centre of the table. He wore a smug little half smile that spoke volumes to a secret only he knew.

Rather, it was a secret he would no longer have to keep.

As the Headmaster took his seat, the strangest thing happened. The skin at his face began to bubble, as did the skin at his hands. If the man was fazed by this new development, he did not show it. Instead, the smile grew to a sinister grin. Messages had been sent off before he entered the Great Hall. Everything was falling into plan well and for the first in a long time, he was properly delighted.

In no time, the skin had peeled away and the hair took on its own transformation. Soon enough the Headmaster....seemed much less like the Headmaster and entirely like someone else.

Shreya gave each of her coworkers a warm smile as they approached the table. While she usually was one to start a conversation, she had made it a goal for herself to spend most of the feast simply listening and observing. She wanted to get a good sense of her coworkers personalities before the start of the term.

A nod was directed toward the healer as she joined them. Shreya detected a bit of irritability behind the smiling facade of the History of Magic professor, mostly because of her exasperated comment toward Finneas. Perhaps she was just having a bad day.

June was another one who had been at Hogwarts at the same time as Shreya, so the herbology professor received a friendly wave. Shreya made a mental note to organize a mini-reunion for her fellow Hogwarts friends-turned-professors.

"Good evening Norman," she said as the Transfiguration professor took his seat next to her. Ah, a finger trap. That's what Finneas's strange contraption was. Shreya chuckled a bit at Cassie Kitridge's snaps. It was nice to have someone so excited and bubbly on staff. "Lovely evening, indeed," she replied.

Professor Williamson's—er, she supposed she should call him William now— entrance left Shreya a bit stumped. How was one supposed to act around their own former professor? They were colleagues now, but it would take a bit of adjusting for Shreya to view him as an equal. Perhaps Finnease and June felt similarly. She decided to direct a warm wave his way.

"Why thank you, Neva," Shryea replied. "I hardly ever get to wear these things anymore, so I figured today was enough of a special occasion." On a stroll around the castle a few days ago, she had passed by Neva's office and was thrilled with the way it was decorated. Shreya had a feeling that she would get along well with the Charms professor.

Turning back to her former housemate, she responded, "It's marvelous to be back. I am so looking forward to meeting all the students." And it looked like Finneas was still stuck in his finger trap predicament. Unfortunately, Shreya wouldn't be much help in that department, unless she could just send a diffindo charm toward it. Perhaps June was more familiar with the strange things.

"Oh, Bali seems absolutely stunning. Did you have a nice trip?" Shreya chimed in, overhearing Camilo's comment to the herbology professor. She loved to discuss traveling, and Bali was on her list of places to go. "I heard that the snorkeling there is amazing." Though Shreya couldn't imagine breathing through a tube when you could just cast a bubble-head charm.

A glance around the staff table showed that everyone was present except for the headmaster, which Shreya found to be a little rude. Even if he did like to make a separate entrance, he should be there by now. Being this late was a bad example to the students. Not to mention how hungry they must all be. Poor souls.

As if to answer her thoughts, the doors banged open, and she watched curiously as the man basically stomped to his place at the table, without a word of greeting to any of them. A bit taken aback by this incredibly rude behavior, Shreya raised her eyebrows, trying to gauge if her colleagues thought this was typical behavior. But before she could make a judgment, she was squinting at the Headmaster, detecting the faintest bit of bubbling underneath his skin.

Shreya gasped. She could tell those signs from anywhere. Polyjuice potion. As he transformed, it became very clear to Shreya that the man at the center of the table was most certainly not the headmaster.

Apparently the headmaster had a flair for the dramatic, something Neva could respect if she wasn't so overwhelmingly hungry. One thing you did not want to do was meet a Peralta on an empty stomach. Hangry didn't even begin to describe it.

She watched the man carefully, something about his smile seeming off. Glancing around at the veteran staff, she tried to gauge if this was normal behavior, only her question was answered for her as soon as the man took his seat.

The wave of emotions surged, crashed, and dissipated in a matter of moments. Confusion, alarm, unease, anger, and then nothing. She had to be calm here. The students were surely panicking enough for the lot of them and she didn't even have all the facts yet. She needed to know why. She needed to know why and who and... what she had gotten herself into. Whatever it was, she was starting to realize that it was bad. Her wand was slipped from its holster discreetly, an act of caution.

She turned her attention to William and Gabriela. They wore multiple hats at this school. They were used to dealing with children. She was taking her lead from them, at least for the moment.

Like those that went to take up position at the different house tables, there were some who went to take up their stance behind the chairs of some of the professors on the dais. They dispersed themselves evenly along the table, two directly behind their leader.

Nothing stupid and no one got hurt; that was the general idea.

They wore mean expressions and had their wands at the ready--again like those at the various tables.

Welcome to the beginning of the new age.

What a lovely evening it was. She snapped and smiled at all the new students getting sorted. Some last names she recognized, others she knew she'd learn soon enough. There were twins that she gasped at for sure she knew who their father was and snapping extra for them. Oh how fun it was to get littles when you knew their parents. Her eyes moved to her own children as well as Curtis, how was he a seventh year already. Was she really getting that old.

With the doors swinging open and seeing Trent she was a little relieved feeling that he was never one to be late. Her eyes shifting back to her coworkers as they continued to talk and enjoy their evenings. She laughed and snapped at the flying joke the new professor had said, even if she didn't like flying much she could get the joke.

As she turned to speak to the new Professors it was then that the headmaster sat in his usual seat right next to her and she had turned to look at the other side so she was up close and personal to the change that was going on.

Gaaassssp

What on earth?

Her wand was in her hand on her lap, she knew this wasn't right and if... if he was here.. where was Trent.

"Who... who are you?" She wasn't going to scare the children, even though he had done that for everyone, but she didn't want to take her eyes off him either. Someone needed to get the children out of there, but they needed to get this under control too. It was then that she saw the others. Her heart raced as she thought of the children.

Glancing around she swallowed hard before getting up her courage. "What is going on?" Eyes back to Trent or this person. "Let us take the children to their common rooms then we can talk as a staff." She was pleading, her mother instincts kicking in to get all the students out of there.

William already had his wand in his left hand from filling his cup, but it seemed that he was moving in slow motion compared to the speed with which Trent... or rather, the man formerly impersonating him.... and his cronies were moving. He found one crony's wand aimed at his face and so he nervously tucked his own back in his wrist holster, tugging down the sleeve of his jacket over it. No sudden movements here, no siree.

"Nothing to worry about," he assured his new colleague, Neva. "Something always happens at Hogwarts. I guess dramatic entrances are a new tradition."

Was he finding humor in this situation already? Maybe. But his disturbance at the fact that something had happened to the real Trent was pushed aside as he worriedly loooked out at the sea of kids. "We'd better... be careful, now....." Oh Merlin, please don't let the stupid brave ones start being stupid and brave.....

Oh, look, there was Trent, making his appearance FINALLY. She was going to make a snide comment to him when he sat down - something along the lines of better late than never - but something kept her from snapping. She still had to remember that no matter what, he was the Headmaster and her boss, and she couldn't just go...

Wait...

What...

What was happening?!

The blonde watched in horror as Trent's skin began to bubble, his hair began to change, and he became a completely different man right in front of her eyes. Alarm bells were sounding in her brain, and somewhere in the back of her mind, a lightbulb was going off as bright as the sun as the events of the entire last year started to make sense. But she had so many thoughts swirling in her head - where was the REAL Trent?! Why was this man revealing himself NOW? What did this all mean?! - that she was effectively frozen from doing anything.

She finally reminded herself to do something, ANYTHING, and thankfully her wand was still settled on her lap, ready to save Finneas from his finger contraption. She raised it, ready to demand an explanation when...an entire ARMY of men she didn't recognize walked in, settling amongst the tables before sending some of their men to surround them. Back in the day Gabi may have been a bit rash and continued raising her wand at them, but this was not the time. She was smart enough to realize that. It was simple mathematics - she was outnumbered and lowered her wand, but kept her expression firm and glared at them, settling on the Headmaster. She could hear Cassie and William chattering amongst themselves, but she wasn't listening. Her focus was on the man who dared call himself Headmaster.

"Who are you people and what is going on? Where is Trent?" she asked firmly, trying her best to remain calm while still trying to assert some sort of dominance in the situation, despite knowing any of these guys could take her out in the blink of an eye if they really wanted to.

"No one is going anywhere," To the request of removing the children to their common rooms, "until we get through a few things." As to the question of Trent. The man was decidedly....busy, at the moment. Indisposed. Unable to come and take his place as Headmaster. This had become Lucien's job and it was great to be back in his own body for it.

The man's expression remained cool through the entrance of the loyal followers of the alliance. In fact, he remained calm through the chaos that the Gryffindor table was quickly becoming. Always one for the dramatics, they would never learn and were likely to be killed by the end of the term--through no fault but their own if what he was seeing was indication of how they planned to carry out the term.

Once the last of them had gotten into place, the man rose and began his speech with amplified voice.

"QUIET." Lucien waited for the room to settle or BE settled then continued. "I think we're beyond the point of welcomes and pleasantries. There's no need to pretend this is anything than it really is. For your benefit, you may call me Headmaster Rosier. Nothing less." As that was his title. "And I have taken the school. Resistance, I think you may smartly be able to tell, will not be met with rainbows and sunshine. Let me make this clear, especially for those of you who still think this is all a game, you are disposable. My men will not lose sleep, nor will I. Do as you're told and there will be no reason for you to meet an untimely and excruciating end."

It surely should have gone without saying...but those Gryffindors. It hadn't even been a full day. This required spelling out in great detail.

"The year will continue as scheduled, however you are under new management. We are the Neo-Alliance. You will learn more about our agenda as the term goes on and in the end, we hope many of you will choose to join us. If you do not, you would do well to stay out of our way."

How many warnings did these children need?

"I have also made the decision to revoke the badges of your Prefects. Incompetent, whiny and driven by fear. No, I need competent eyes around the castle. You'll become well acquainted with them in no time. No one leaves the Great Hall until dinner is finished. At each table, you will find forms. Fill them out. Once you are done, the parchment will take itself away. It's in your best interest to fill it out thoroughly. Without this information, there's really no proof you ever made it here should your dear parents find you missing. A new age is coming and you will help us usher it in. Now then, let's eat."

Casual as ever he slipped back into his chair and dug in when the food arrived.

So this was how it was going to be: the Neo-Alliance was in charge now. Huh. Williamson's brow furrowed as he tried to absorb every word the new management said, and also tried to think if he'd ever heard the name of this gang before. Rosier, that was an old pureblood name though. His dad definitely knew a Rosier or two.

What else was new? Oh. Great. Prefects were gone. Honestly, the kids were probably safer without a band of designated student leaders trying to play the hero. He shook his head softly to himself, his tired old brain whirring and thinking of ways out of things. So they were basically hostages now, and just supposed to carry on teaching? As though nothing were going down? How was THAT going to work?! William had a class first thing tomorrow, and as much as this sucked, he needed some fuel to get through the night.

So when the food appeared, William calmly loaded his plate up with a little bit of everything. Only his tiightly clenched jaw betrayed his current displeasure.

What had she gotten herself into?

Rosier had taken this school and from the reactions of the other staff members, he’d done so right under their noses. That scared her more than anything. He was smart. These people, however they looked, were smart. They’d managed to take an entire school hostage. What else had they managed to do?

Another question was how were they, the staff, going to manage to keep these kids from getting themselves killed? The Gryffindors were already pushing their luck. This was a mess.

Not wanting to make waves, not yet anyway, the Charms Professor made herself a plate. She was no longer hungry, but not eating wasn’t going to help anyone, and something told her she’d need her strength.

Gabi felt...a small amount of vindication knowing that her gut feeling about SOMETHING being up with Trent last term had been right, but that didn't last long. She was completely ignored and found herself sitting back in her seat, watching this new man in interest. Rosier, huh? That name sounded familiar - which led her to believe this man was a decent of THE Rosiers, aka the notorious Death Eaters. And the Neo-Alliance? REALLY?

Gabriela Recard had had MORE than her fair share of involvement with cults over the years, thank you very much. Because this was clearly what was going on - a cult staging a coup at Hogwarts. You'd have to be a fool not to see it. The thinly veiled threats were a bit much, weren't they? They were kids! They had nothing to do with whatever it was this Alliance was fighting.

Her eyes kept darting across the hall - Merlin, those Gryffindors, what were they thinking?! - before settling on her Slytherin students. As always, her main priority was remaining calm, and attempting to put on a brave face for the kids. A small part of her brain was amazed that she wasn't attempting to high tail it out of there, which would have been her initial reaction say...twenty years ago.

She wondered for a moment if she could maybe sneak out a letter to Armen, ask him for any advice - if anyone knew how to deal with cults, it was her husband.

It was too quiet for her liking, as she started to load up her plate, even though her appetite was gone. "Will staff be briefed prior to the start of term on your...agenda?" she asked quietly to the man. Ugh, she felt weird even TALKING to him. Whatever their agenda was, she couldn't imagine it was a GOOD thing. These things hardly ever were.

This was like a game of chess. Each move was going to have consequences and be part of the bigger picture - she had to tread carefully with this. Every move, every question, every day was about to get a LOT more complicated.

Finneas Schmoe was just about to reply to the new flying instructor when the strangest thing started happening. This was Hogwarts and strange things occured all the time, but never once had he seen the headmaster's face melt off.

No, this was new.

Schmoe had the sense to shut up... though he resembled a chihuahua in the middle of a bullfight.

He swallowed thickly.

This was very. Very. Very bad news bears.