July 15th, 1895 - Hufflepuff Den

It had been a week since Dorothea had been officially hired by Hogwarts. It hadn't taken her long at all to find a new post after finishing her employment with the Valenduris family, the fact that the family had telegraphed their plans months in advance had given her chance to begin looking quite early, and now here she was. She looked around the Den, how long had it been? eleven years since she had called this place home. She still felt the warmth of the hufflepuff decor around her and she knew this was a safe space for her. Of course she was a different person to that seventeen year old girl studying hard for her NEWTS, but the hufflepuff inside her remained. She had enjoyed being a governess, she had done very well at the role, but taking charge of the emotional well being of a whole Hogwarts house was a challenge she was itching to sink her teeth into.

She heard footsteps coming in to the common room and she half turned to see Professor Lissington walking across the room. He was another memory from her time here, although she had run into him several times over recent years during the course of her role as Hyacinth's governess.

"Good afternoon, Professor. Lovely to see you. I Haven't had chance to head up an snoop around my old dorms. Its all quite exciting though isnt it." her excitement for their meeting bubbling through her otherwise well composed demeanor. This would be their first meeting to properly discuss how they together would shape the hufflepuffs of the future.

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Gus Lissington

  

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He paused outside of the Hufflepuff common room, his hand pressed against the cool wall as he steadied himself. Even though a few weeks had passed since Mason’s death, Gus still felt like he was underwater. The idea of walking into the room was daunting – Mason wasn’t going to be there, not now, not ever. Gus was without his friend and he wasn’t quite sure how he was going to lead their house without having the man to lean on for advice.

Gus exhaled sharply and ran a free hand through his hair before he tapped the barrels outside of the common room in the correct order to open the door. He ducked into the room, pausing midstep as he heard a familiar voice greet him. Gus turned toward Miss Potts, a woman he knew of but certainly didn’t know well, and offered her a slight smile.

“Afternoon,” he said, although his nose wrinkled for a moment. “But please, no more of that ‘Professor’ nonsense. Call me Gus.” Despite being in his post for a few years now, Gus still wasn’t fond of being called professor. He enjoyed being a professor much more than he did his first year, but it didn’t mean he didn’t miss being a curse breaker. Plus if they were going to be working together, they might as well be on a first name basis.

“Exciting, yes.” Terrifying, too. Gus wasn’t sure if he was up for the task of filling Mason’s shoes, but it was too late to back out now. He nodded toward the staircase behind her. “If you want to sneak up to your old dorms, I’ll pretend I didn’t see.” He laughed quietly, before adding. “that’s the first thing I did when I was hired. I went to see if my initials were still carved into my bed.”

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   Dorothea Potts

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Dorothea smiled "Gus it is then, and I suppose you can call me Thea." she said politely. It would take a little getting used to, the familiarity, but she supposed this working relationship was intended to be different to her governess role where she would never even think to utter her employer's first names.

She was glad that he had held her own sense of nostalgia when he had arrived, it made her feel more comfortable with the slightly giddy "I'm back" feeling that she had in her stomach, like she had swallowed butterflies that tickled her with their wings. "Its a special place isnt it? I think more so than the other dorms, so much heart in here. I would have loved to have met Helga Hufflepuff." she wondered if she should say anything about the reasons that she was looking at a different head of house than last year, but she was certain that Gus would have had talked it over, over and over with every person he encountered. He would bring it up if he wanted it, and she would bring it up if she thought he needed it.

"I suspect you have big plans to make this role your own. I would be lying if I said I hadnt thought about what I had in mind here too. Any students I need to watch out for?" she laughed. She doubted there were many trouble makers in here, they typically wore red or green in her experience.

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Gus Lissington

  

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“Thea is it.” He echoed her sentiment. If he could have everyone, students, staff, hell, anyone he met in life call him Gus instead of professor or Mr. Lissington, life would be a lot better. He hated the formalities that came with it, but he wasn’t going to knock anyone down for respecting it. Basil would probably keel over and die if students called him by his first name instead of something formal, although they’d always be polar opposites in that regard.

Gus nodded. “Did you know that the common is by the kitchen because Helga Hufflepuff had a knack for food related charms?” Or at least he assumed that was the reason their common room was where it was. She was also the reason why house elves worked for the school, as she wanted to give them somewhere safe to work, where they would not be mistreated or abused.

“Oh, I absolutely have big plans,” he confirmed. “I’m going to look at starting a mentoring program, and maybe trying a house-wide competition, although I’m not sure what that would look like. Low stakes though, and hopefully high morale.” He wanted camaraderie between the students under his care; he didn’t bring up last year when the Ravenclaws started the year by fighting. Gus wasn’t interested in that happening.

At her question about the students, he huffed a small laugh and scratched his jaw. “They’re a great group of kids and I wouldn’t say there are any to watch out for.” Yuri Podsnapper was a former stone child, but he meant well. Corrine Dursley was rough around the edges but she wasn't someone he'd label a problem or required extra attention. Draconia Yarwood liked to toe the line. But Gus was going to let Thea form her own opinions.

He tilted his head slightly toward her, more curious now. “What about you? Any schemes already brewing?”

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   Dorothea Potts

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Her face was filled with a beaming smile. "Its amazing the effect an oven fresh cake or a steaming hot chocolate can have on a weary child, Old Helga had the right idea." She wouldnt say it, it didn't need to be said, but Hufflepuff tended to attract the more troubled, students, possibly broken by the fact they had had a magical world thrust on them without the bravery, self confidence or cockiness of some of the other houses. It would require a certain tenderness and food was an option. It seemed that Gus had a similar mind.

"Mentoring sounds very good, were you intending some kind of buddy system within the house? My own ideas revolve around provisioning really, you know those annoying little life things you don't realise you took for granted your parents always kept? Those kinds of things. Lord knows I was lucky an older girl took me aside and warned me to be prepared the first time I... oh... nevermind." she blushed slightly and waved the topic back out of the air. She had been rambling a little and begun to drift into more personal head space. "Governess talk, leave that to me." she would quickly move on with a little smirk. It was this place, it had an air about it that encouraged warmth, comfort and openness, made it harder to feel embarassed about ones own tongue. "I think an anonymous request box, put your name on and I've run out of and then the next day it appears neatly wrapped under your pillow." she made a gesture of wrapping something like it was a gift.

"But beyond that I think making sure the students minds are where they need to be."

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Gus Lissington

  

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Gus nodded – food always made him feel better, especially when it was something sweet. She’d learn soon enough on her own how much of a sweet tooth he had and how often he took advantage of living near the kitchen. (He couldn’t help but wonder how much of a perk being the Hufflepuff Head of House was when it came to extra snacks and desserts…)

At the mention of the buddy system, Gus nodded. “That’s the idea. Older years keeping an eye on the younger. Not just to help them find their way to class, but to make sure they have a friendly face or someone to eat with. Things we might miss in the bustle of the school year.” The brief flush to her cheeks at her cut-off remark didn’t go unnoticed, though he didn’t press. He understood the governess talk and he respected it.

“I like that.” Gus said in regard to the request box. He just wanted to make sure his Hufflepuffs were cozy and happy while they were under his care at Hogwarts. “We just have to make sure that the older years understand it’s not a box to play pranks.” Because he could certainly see a few of them using it for just that.

Gus stepped toward one of the windows. “I think we should make sure there's a cake or two for when the week’s been a rough one. Nothing wrong with bribing them into good spirits now and again.” He shrugged. Cake made him happy.

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   Dorothea Potts

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It was an excellent plan and would make things easier for plenty of the children as the adapted to school. "I remember my own years here, having people around in support was invaluable, but I also had cousins bursting out of the walls of the castle." there was at least two or three Potts girls about for her whole seven years. It was something she did sometimes feel sad that her sister only got to experience for a short time.

She laughed. "Can you imagine? We shall take care to avoid pranks, leave that to the gryffindors." troublemakers, every one of them. She walked and looked onto the top of one of the drawer units running her finger across the back to check the dust but also to squeeze her fingers between the cupboard and the wall panel. Her eyes lit up and she gestured to Gus. "Come here and have a look at this." the panel came loose and Thea turned it over to face the professor. On the back, scratched in fine lettering was a series of initials and other little symbols including "DGP 1877-84" she ran her finger over it fondly, looking to see if she might find Dahlia or Calla's entries on it.

"Remember this?" she asked Gus with a smile of nostalgia.

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Gus Lissington

  

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Gus nodded. There were always a lot of Potts women running around while he was at Hogwarts, although there seemed to be a lull in them now – just Mildred Potts, if he recalled correctly, although for all he knew there’d be an abundance of them at sorting this year. Gus hadn’t had a lot of family around while he roamed the halls, but his sister, Fig, had been a year behind him and sorted into Hufflepuff, though even without her Gus had had plenty of friends to rely on when he needed it.

He nodded then, although disagreed that Gryffindors were the troublemakers. Thea hadn’t been around for the debacle of Ravenclaw a couple years ago, with the twins, and well… Gus would argue that they were the troublemakers. Slytherins too, although they hadn’t done anything too damning recently for him to recall. Hopefully he didn’t just jinx it, although better it someone else’s house than his own.

Gus turned as she moved, walking over to her with a few strides. “What is it?” He hummed, leaning forward as he blinked at the neat little scrawl, then back at her with a sudden, dawning grin. “DGP. I’m glad you got to carve your name in.” He laughed. “I don’t think I ever carved my initials in. I was afraid to get in trouble my first year.” Although that had quickly changed over the years, his detentions were more for being adventurous in places he shouldn’t be than for doing anything terrible.

Gus let out another laugh, rubbing at the back of his neck as though embarrassed to admit it. “Well, maybe it’s not too late.” He patted his pockets. “What do you reckon? A spell to do it for me?”

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   Dorothea Potts

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Dorothea grinned and whispered conspiratorially "Well, I won't tell the head of house if you dont." she would let the professor carve his initials into the secret journal of members and then after he was done she would carefully place it back as though it had never been moved.

She wiped her hands on her dress and turned around again looking at the rest of room thoughtfully. "Ok, here's something I have been hoping to ask. The headmaster's barrier, does it really block staff too? I know what I was told in school, and was briefed during my interview. But I cant imagine the logistics of having every staff member letting Headmaster Black know all their comings and goings." it wasnt like she would be vanishing off into Hogsmeade at a moments notice, but if she was going to be provisioning her wards she might need to from time to time.

There was something else she wanted to ask, but it was probably the wrong time, which is likely why she found herself asking this seemingly odd question while looking at a paintings of the previous heads of house, finishing of course with the late Mason Skeeter. She looked at it and let out a sigh. No. She had to ask, she needed to know if she would be dealing with floods of tears when the students got back to the change. "Were the students close to him?" she asked.

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Gus Lissington

  

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Gus laughed as he turned away. No, he wasn’t going to carve his initials into it – he’d graduated too long ago from Hogwarts, although maybe once he felt he’d established himself as Head of House, a good one at that, he’d reconsider it. Instead he focused on Thea’s question.

“No one can cross the barrier once it’s up, unless you have permission so Black can take it down for you to leave.” It was more to keep the students in, although it was kind of inconvenient as an adult, not that he really left the castle outside of his weekend off or when he was set to chaperone during Hogsmeade weekends. Her reasoning for wanting to leave were her own, so Gus didn’t ask. “It’s down in the morning so those who are in Hogsmeade can come in and at night so they can leave.”

Gus followed her gaze to the line of portraits, his expression softening as it lingered on Mason’s face. For a moment he didn’t answer, thumb brushing the edge of his sleeve. It was hard to describe Mason; he was his best friend and now he was dead. “He was a good person and the students loved him. He was patient, kind and made the greenhouse the kind of place anyone could find refuge in.” Except this year, Gus wouldn’t be going there if he could help it.

His lips twitched into a frown as he swallowed around a lump in his throat. “Why don’t you go check out the girl’s dormitory and see if there’s anything that needs to be done. I’ll do the same with the boys.” Gus needed a minute. He wasn’t ready to talk about Mason just yet.

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   Dorothea Potts

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Learn how to earn HP as a DADA Student and/or Hufflepuff