Embers | S. Black

3.

Amara awoke the next morning feeling a bit better. Her exhaustion the previous night seemed to be the pretense of most of her worries. She drowsily began getting ready for the day ahead. Most of the day was filled with unpacking and organizing her life in the tiny room. The mundane actions of putting things away seemed to keep her mind at bay, it wasn't until she had finished unpacking that she began to think about the events and distant thoughts of the last night. This time, the thoughts seemed to come in a more logical manner, instead of delusional conversations in her head. She sat on her bed, just thinking, until finally 6:30pm hit. Amara made her way down the corridors until she was met with the towering gargoyle yet again. This time, she proudly stated, "sherbet lemon" upon climbing the first step. As it slowly made its way up, she began feeling anxious, but before she could even contemplate her emotions, the gargoyle stopped.

The wooden door now wide open, conveniently, showing the scene unfolding inside the office. All the Hogwarts teachers sat in a half circle surrounding the headmaster's desk, idly talking with each other. No one had even noticed Amara walking inside the office. Slowly making her way to an empty chair, she noticed a large lump of hair, Hagrid, of course he wasn't hard to miss, sitting next to Professor Flitwick whose feet barely hung off the chair. Next, a tight bun and long robes which could only belong to Professor Mcgonagall. When she looked across the room, though, a surprising sight caught her eye: Long black hair and a set of equally black eyes staring up at her. She had completely forgotten Severus Snape had worked at Hogwarts as the potions teacher, forget everything else, this is now the most pressing issue! She thought, now sitting in her chair, avoiding eye contact. Her hasty attempt to sit down not going unnoticed by the mass of people around her.

"Amara! What 're yeh doin' here?" Hagrid was the first to speak, through a tooth shattering grin.

"Oh well-" she began, but was quickly cut off

"Welcome everyone! As you can see we have two new professors this year. Some of you may know each other already. I suspect this will come of use for a cooperative teaching environment this year." Dumbledore exclaimed with a smile, "Please carry on, introductions must be made, conversations to be had, and teachings to be taught!"

All the teachers rose from their seats and made their way toward each other to continue their conversations before the students arrived. Hagrid took a step toward Amara with Mcgonagall trailing a few steps behind to reach her.

"So yeh've come back to teach eh" he said matter of factly

"Yes, Amara, it's good to see you again" Mcgonagall said with a tightlipped smile

Amara had been so distracted by the greetings that she almost didn't notice Severus now making his way out of the room without a glance her way. The conversations had been cut short due to the arrival of the students, which prompted the professors to make their way to the Great Hall for the start-of-the-year feast.

Amara decided to sit next to Hagrid at the feast once he got back from escorting the first years on the boats. She could hear his rambling in the background, but her focus was on the Gryffindor table searching for the familiar face. However, she couldn't see it no matter how hard she looked. Her anxieties intensified when Mcgonagall, Severus, and Dumbledore all came in later than they were supposed to appear. Soon, Mcgonagall sat on her other side and calmed her worries, telling her of the "little adventure" Harry and his friend had had coming to Hogwarts in a flying car. The knowledge of Harry's safety allowed her to laugh at the event, now understanding what Dumbledore meant by inheriting James' sense of recklessness. The feast continued smoothly, except for the occasional glances at the potions master on the other side of the long table.

After the feast, Dumbledore got up, his hands spread wide and began his welcoming speech, "... and now, some introductions. As you may have noticed two new faces join us this year. Gilderoy Lockhart who will take the position of the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, and Amara Raywood who will be teaching the newest course added to our catalog, the Ethics of Magic. I'm sure you will give them a warm welcome." At the mention of her name she raised slightly from her seat and smiled at the scattered applause.