[bot] | when the leaves come falling down || open

With the beginning of term, Headmaster Fontaine felt refreshed—the preparations for the next year celebrations and of the area for the students one he welcomed with great excitement. The man had always enjoyed this type of change; the mild period that followed the summer and guided it into the fall, the leaves changing to reflect the changes in the season. While in many parts of the world the spring was seen as a new beginning, Headmaster Fontaine saw the fall as a beginning to forming new memories, making new friendships, and most importantly, meeting the new little witches and wizards that would make up this years’ newcomers.

The buses arrived around a little before five o’clock, the returning students gathering first before the new students arrived shortly after, making their ways to their perspective areas in preparation for Headmaster Fontaine’s speech. The sorting had gone seamlessly and Headmaster Fontaine had been amused at the look on the faces of the students that had been presented with the difficult choice of choosing one of many houses.

There were some new changes taking place this year, with more programs and opportunities for community engagement. Headmaster Fontaine had paid a visit to Stowe a few times during the summer, curious to see how S.A.S.I. worked and if it was as popular with the students as they claimed they were. From what he saw, the students enjoyed the activities and were surprisingly apt at doing things without a heavy reliance on magic. While Headmaster Fontaine understood more than anyone the importance of wielding magic properly, he also realized that the ability to have fun and live without magic all the time was important too. It was easy to make friends when two people were figuring things out together rather than using magic to figure it out for them.

Taking his position at the podium as the student body fell silent, he contemplated the faces in the crowd, some old and some new. “Welcome,” he said, “I am thrilled to have all of you joining me this year. I hope everyone has had an enjoyable summer as well, whether you spent it at home, traveling, or even at summer camp. You should have received an owl from the school asking that you prepare notes of appreciation for your friends, we do this every year at the beginning of term in celebration of Friendship Day, to remind those that are close to us that we care about them and value their presence in our lives,” he explained, taking a note he had written on before dinner to show the students, closing his hands over the folded paper only to windlessly turn it into a paper bird which he allowed to fly across the room. “Please do not reach for a bird that is not meant for you, this is bad luck!” he joked as he saw some of the new students reach out to try to touch the paper bird before it disappeared out of an open window.

“There will be some weekend-long orientation trips scheduled,” he continued onward, “the information has been left in your rooms so that you may decide with time. The staff and student council have worked hard to make these as enjoyable for everyone as possible so I hope you also enjoy them,” he continued.

“This year, we are excited to announce a new addition to the school, Professor @Dottie Dubé  will be joining us as Charms Professor, please give her a warm welcome,” he announced, pausing for a moment before the entire dining room erupted in applause. He looked forward to learning more about Dottie, but from what he had seen so far he was confident that she would be a great professor.

“Now that we are all acquainted and at our appropriate tables, I believe we are all quite ready for dinner,” he suggested, the delicious food appearing right before their eyes. “Enjoy your meal and welcome again!”

[ooc: please feel free to respond to this thread]

For the past three years Gideon had been eager for September and the new term at Ilvermorny to begin. He loved to teach, loved his students, loved everything about his life at school. He could busy himself during the summer months and he liked the distraction he had when he could focus on creating new potions and travelling but September 1st meant coming home for him. When he moved into his quarters at the beginning of term he usually couldn't wipe the smile off his face anymore.

Now, however, for the first time since he had been introduced as a new member of staff, he did not look forward to the new term. Things had changed, everything had changed from one day to the next. When Ricky had told him that Dottie would be joining the Ilvermorny staff, Gideon had felt like his whole world was put upside down.

He took a seat at the staff table in the Dining Room, focusing on the headmaster's words of introduction and avoiding to look at Dottie although he felt his gaze drawn to her. She was so pretty. After all these years she still was the most attractive woman he knew. Gideon chastised himself, he should not even think about it. Whatever had brought her to Ilvermorny had nothing to do with him. Things had changed, they had both lived their lives for the last twelve years without ever getting in touch. The fact that she was a fellow professor now meant nothing, nothing whatsoever.

He forced himself to look at the large group of students, offering a particularly wide smile to the students of his house because Agilbert Fontaine's words caught his attention again. Of course, Dottie was introduced to them all. Everybody applauded and Gideon joined in after a brief moment of hesitation, not looking at his new colleague as he did so. He wondered if Dottie and Ricky were going to spend a lot of time together. Probably these late nights with his mate discussing students and their problems were a part of the past. Ricky had Dottie now and, of course, his daughter, Selena, would also get attention. Gideon grabbed his glass of wine and took a huge sip. He felt like he was trapped in an alternate universe where everything was different from how he knew it.

Regina breathed a sigh of relief when she took a seat for her last ever beginning of term feast. She loved Ilvermorny, it was great, but she was ready to make her own mark on this world. Most of her friends had already graduated, but that was the downside of hanging out with the older kids these last few years. And she was ready to graduate too. Old enough to do magic outside of school, but stuck in school, the seventeen-year-old felt antsy.

She followed her fellow thunderbirds to the tables and slid into the same seat she had staked a claim on for three years. Ah, the perks of being an upperclassman. Bringing her mini backpack covered in band patches and enchanted buttons to her lap, she pulled out the letters she had written for friendship day and passed them to the front with the rest of the study body. She hadn't written many, but she tried to write what she could. It was a cute tradition, and she liked it.

Clapping with the others at the arrival of a new professor Regina gave her a quick look, hoping she would be chill but not getting her hopes up too much. Half of the professors were pretty cool, but some of them had a stricter side. Regina knew pretty well who was who with the teachers she'd had classes with the last six years, but this new witch was a mystery. One that would be solved quickly, she shot a knowing look at one of the many class clowns in her year, knowing they'd put Ms. Dottie Dubé to the test.

Leaning back in her chair Regina let the front legs lift off the ground casually and waited for dinner to start.

A little note smacked into the back of John Henry's head as they began to circulate around the room. The fourth-year rubbed the spot, wishing the stinging away as he turned to find the crumpled piece of parchment on the floor. Figures his note would try to decapitate him, that tracked. The wizard smiled as he unfolded it and began to read the note inside. Cheeks turning a little red, he flipped the message over and back, searching for a signature, but there wasn't one. "No, it's nothing," he told his dormmate as they asked what it said. Turning to look around the room, he had no idea who had sent him the little note, but he wanted to. Jack, still blushing, read the small note once more. It was only a few words, but it was enough to make him feel embarrassed as the other fourth-year-old boys inquired about it.

It was a secret admirer note.

"It's the same stuff that's in all of them," he tried to shrug it off, but he'd already given himself away by reading it twice. "Probably just from a professor or something, you know, so everyone gets one -- hey!" Trying to make them believe him, Jack nearly lost the letter all together as a friend wanted to swipe it. With a death grip on the note, Jack tore it back from the other boy and did the only thing that made sense. It was the only way to conceal what it truly said.

He ate the note.

Isis took both the beginning of term and Friendship Day seriously, particularly since receiving news that she had been elected to student senate. She hadn't just written notes for her friends, but ones that thanked her professors for teaching her, to older students who had helped her find her way last year, to "the Wampus boy with the red hair and freckles" for bandaging her leg when she'd grazed it during an adventure cadets orientation. She'd had to bring a canvas bag into the hall with her to hold them all, and she pulled out three double handfuls of notes written on a variety of papers and parchments before she had everything. Isis ignored a couple of smirks from those around her with dignity (and at the same time hoped she hadn't forgotten to write notes for any of them) She knew how happy it made people feel to receive notes, and if taking a couple of hours to write nice things about people was what it took to make them happy, then it was time well spent. 

When the notes began to circulate, the thunderbird was gratified to see that nobody seemed to be without a note at all. She was pleasantly surprised when four...five...six...more notes arrived with her name on. Blushing slightly, she scooped them into her bag to read later.

She eyed the new professor with interest, thinking that she looked pretty young to be a professor. It hadn't skipped her notice that one of the new first years had the same surname, and she wondered if they were related. Surely the charms professor couldn't be the new girl's mom, she looked too young and...well, smiley for that. Other than that, it looked like they'd have the same professors as last year. That was fine, there was nobody Isis hadn't got on with, not really. The weekend trips sounded exciting, her taste for adventure not having been satisfied by the summer school, and she sighed at the news that they would have to wait to get back to their common rooms to find out the details. Why couldn't it all have been announced now? Just then her stomach growled and she remembered why the beginning of term speeches were short.

Food!

The second year's eyes widened at the sight of the feast, not her first by any means but nonetheless looking better than any she could remember. All around her people were piling their plates high; it took just a second before she followed suit. Shortly thereafter, her area of the room lapsed into comfortable silence, punctuated only by the sounds of satisfied chewing and the occasional muttered comment between friends.

Having enjoyed the previous three years' start of term and sorting ceremony, Ricky felt unsurprisingly nervous this year. It was hardly sensible - his daughter would be sorted into a house whether or not he was watching, but that didn't change how he felt. Not even the fact that he and Gideon were sitting next to each other, as they did every year, made him feel much better, because a little further down the table was Dottie. He had greeted her earlier, but forced himself not to actualy have a proper conversation. Stupid, really. They were in their thirties, adults - not teenagers who had to take sides in some disagreement. Knowing that didn't make it any easier, or change the situation.

When Selena was sorted he clapped louder, his smile wide, but resisted the temptation to cheer. His daughter had promised not to speak to him for the entire year if he did anything to embarrass her. From his position at the table he could see her already making friends with her new housemates, and he relaxed a bit.

As for the Friendship notes, Ricky had a handful of his own. To Dottie, he'd scribbled a brief one that simply welcomed her to Ilvermorny. Gideon of course would receive a longer note, but he'd also written congratulatory notes to his students who had achieved particularly good grades that summer. He expected to receive just one in return, from Gideon, but was surprised when three paper birds alighted at his place. "Hey, I've got admirers!" he joked to his friend as the staff table filled with tempting plates of food.