Basil was glad to be back at Hogwarts a bit in advance of the new term, even if this past holiday he’d had a particularly engaging weekly luncheon that he would miss as a result. Mama had been less than pleased with his early departure, but he’d assured both women in his life (in this case the lovely Ms. Bonaccord and his ever feistier mother) that he would write and be back to London (and/or Hogsmeade) again as soon as the opportunity arose. He had a vested interested in staying in communication with Ms. Bonaccord as her research carried on and, well, if it pleased his mother too then he would kill two birds with one stone.
He sat back rather amusedly in his seat in this particular moment however considering the fate of his professorial colleague. He and Professor Lyra had both begun their careers at Hogwarts the same year and had since developed a bit of a bond, both having been the ‘New Kids on the Block’ at the same time. Now, six years into their shared tenure, he was happy to sit and chat as old friends as they discussed all the possibilities of the upcoming new year.
With a chuckle as she poured the tea and asked for his advice, Basil couldn’t help but shake his head.
“I’m sure I made some of them cry on the first night, last year in particular,” he parried back as he reached for his saucer and swept his teacup onto his thigh. Themis always knew exactly how he liked his tea
and his pasties, and for that he was grateful.
“As for last year, it was not an easy one by any means, but we Ravenclaws are nothing if not resilient.” Basil tried not to grimace as thoughts of the various scandals and dramas skipped over his mind. It had been a trying year, one that still made him shift defensively when it was brought up, as if he needed to be prepared to speak up on his house’s behalf. This, in itself, was the crux of what he supposed he ought to share.
Basil was nothing if not fiercely protective of his students and their reputations, no matter what they did, and everyone on the staff knew it. He would always be there to defend his house, and he did so without a second thought to himself or his own reputation. It was not a feat that he’d ever imagine would come as naturally as it did though. He’d never been much of one for
children as a young adult, but now, well. Hogwarts had a way of changing one, and he knew that Themis would feel similarly.
“The best advice I can give you is really that it will all come more naturally than you think and not to give it too much thought,” he shrugged.
“As I’m sure you’ve seen, I am not even the shell of the professor I was when we both came to Hogwarts for the first time, or even really when I was appointed Head of House. Something just… changes, within you, to manage the added responsibility. You’ll know exactly what to do when you need to.” He offered her a playful smile as he lifted his teacup to his lips.
“And in the meantime, you can keep the riotous little lions counting stars to keep them occupied. Run some of that endless Gryffindor energy out of them.”
Every year brought a new surge of joy and aspirations. Now preparing for her sixth year and first as Head of House, Themis expected the nerves to have lessened; not this year. She was ready for a new challenge and new crop of students, but this year came with a new sense of ownership over their wellbeing. Now, instead of just feeling as if she was responsible for the well-being of every child, a quarter of them truly were her responsibility. No pressure. Still, with just a week left before the castle was again swarming with seven years of chaos, Themis was enjoying the quiet with her coworkers she was willing to share this peace with.![[Image: tdZycoK.png]](https://i.imgur.com/tdZycoK.png)
