Snippet #1698766

The grounds were remarkably quiet. The birds had gone to bed in their nests, and the only sounds to be heard were the whispered conversations of teachers wandering the gardens and a lonely thestral in the sky over the Forbidden Forest. Celeste's only regret as she walked along the forest's edge and watched for signs of life within was that it was not going to stay this way. Tonight was the night that the students would arrive. She could already see them in the distance, gathering at the station. She could see them boarding their carriages and their boats, preparing for their journey to the castle.

Things were going to get much busier around Hogwarts.
And that did nothing to make her job easier.

With a rough sigh, Celeste turned back towards the castle. She had to be inside, seated before dinner. Even if she would much rather avoid the crowds, she was a teacher now. Tomorrow, classes began. She had to put up a good front of actually giving a damn whether or not these children passed. Her only real care was that they all survived the year.
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James jogged down the platform towards the carriages where his friends were gathering. He did not stop to acknowledge his little brother or sister. Albus would take good care of Lily, and Hagrid was going to take her away anyways. James didn't want to be pinned with the responsibility of ushering around a first year. Again.

Teddy Lupin watched James jog by, and laughed quietly. Someday, the boy would learn. Someday he would get it.
For now, he was an arrogant idiot. And that was how he would stay until something, or someone, forced him to grow up.