Post by etainmctiernan on Dec 28, 2008 21:22:09 GMT -5
Etain McTiernan looked around her well-appointed office with satisfaction. The mahogany desk gleamed in the lamplight and candlelight that twinkled off the leaded panes in the windows and caught the crystals hanging from the ceiling. The padded chair was comfortable, perfect for long hours of sitting and chatting with students thanks to a solidly cast Cushioning charm. The candles burned at a steady rate with nary a flicker thanks to more cleverly cast Charms. Her papers were in neatly stacked piles, bound with ribbons that were bespelled to expand to accommodate additions to the piles. Inkwells were arranged by color, with pure raven black and emerald predominant among the silver and gold.
A pile of student files lay in a wooden tray on Etain’s desk and she smiled down at it. Most professors hated paperwork but Etain loved reading about her students. Charms was a very personal type of magic and it was best to tailor it to the student, once the basics were learned. Every witch or wizard needed the simple house and health keeping charms, but once beyond that things differed. After all, a mediwitch would never need to use the same charms as an Auror on the job! Etain probably knew more Charms than any other witch in the vicinity, given that she’d been teaching the subject for almost fifty years. She picked up the files and flipped through them, noting that she had alphabetized them within each year.
Etain smoothed the heavy silk of her emerald dress robes, and then adjusted the set of her professor’s gown. Her set of black velvet teacher’s robes bore the silver embroidery that marked her not only as the Head of Slytherin, her old House from her school days, but also as the Deputy Headmistress. She was dressed impeccably for her first meeting with her new charges, wanting to let them know that she was very serious about her responsibilities toward them. First she would meet with her Slytherins – her Slytherins! – and then with the youngsters signing up for her Charms class. A smile turned up the corners of Etain’s mouth and made the laugh lines on her face come to life. It was such a joy to be teaching, and at her alma mater no less!
Etain scanned the files one last time as she waited for her first student to arrive. A musical trilling started up as she read and she turned to the elegantly carved perch hovering in midair. “Why the bright song, Ivanova? Are you enjoying this place as much as I am, love?” The bright little bird, no larger than a dove, sat on the carved wood singing a merry tune. Her jewel-bright feathers flashed in the candlelight as she trilled, showering false sparks off their ends. The firebird had been a gift from a Russian friend, meant to soothe her soul after the death of her husband, Carnell. The little creature was more friend than pet, and often ate from her plate and drank from her cup. Etain hoped the students would find her friend as delightful as she did.
Etain looked up as a knock sounded on the door. “Come in and be welcome!” she called in her rich voice, eager to meet her first student.
A pile of student files lay in a wooden tray on Etain’s desk and she smiled down at it. Most professors hated paperwork but Etain loved reading about her students. Charms was a very personal type of magic and it was best to tailor it to the student, once the basics were learned. Every witch or wizard needed the simple house and health keeping charms, but once beyond that things differed. After all, a mediwitch would never need to use the same charms as an Auror on the job! Etain probably knew more Charms than any other witch in the vicinity, given that she’d been teaching the subject for almost fifty years. She picked up the files and flipped through them, noting that she had alphabetized them within each year.
Etain smoothed the heavy silk of her emerald dress robes, and then adjusted the set of her professor’s gown. Her set of black velvet teacher’s robes bore the silver embroidery that marked her not only as the Head of Slytherin, her old House from her school days, but also as the Deputy Headmistress. She was dressed impeccably for her first meeting with her new charges, wanting to let them know that she was very serious about her responsibilities toward them. First she would meet with her Slytherins – her Slytherins! – and then with the youngsters signing up for her Charms class. A smile turned up the corners of Etain’s mouth and made the laugh lines on her face come to life. It was such a joy to be teaching, and at her alma mater no less!
Etain scanned the files one last time as she waited for her first student to arrive. A musical trilling started up as she read and she turned to the elegantly carved perch hovering in midair. “Why the bright song, Ivanova? Are you enjoying this place as much as I am, love?” The bright little bird, no larger than a dove, sat on the carved wood singing a merry tune. Her jewel-bright feathers flashed in the candlelight as she trilled, showering false sparks off their ends. The firebird had been a gift from a Russian friend, meant to soothe her soul after the death of her husband, Carnell. The little creature was more friend than pet, and often ate from her plate and drank from her cup. Etain hoped the students would find her friend as delightful as she did.
Etain looked up as a knock sounded on the door. “Come in and be welcome!” she called in her rich voice, eager to meet her first student.