The (staff room) search on Sonora Lounges

Sophie O'Malley

November 03, 2016 2:51 AM

The (staff room) search by Sophie O'Malley

4:13pm on a Thursday evening was not a time that commonly found Sophie in the staff lounge. In fact, she was usually well on her way home by this time, her office hours for the day ending around 4:00. She only taught Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, so she had a bit more freedom with her Tuesdays and Thursdays, which she spent all of from 10:00am until 4:00pm in her office, minus one midday departure, usually a half hour to an hour, for lunch. There was occasions where she stopped in the staff lounge for one reason or another, and today had been such a day.

Sometime during the day, she had misplaced an item from her bag, and since today had been a lounge day, she retraced her steps there during her search. Her blue eyes peered skeptically around the area as she entered, searching the counter tops and surface areas even at a distance. She looked beneath larger items when she got nearer to them, but all to no avail. “Where the hell…?” she murmured to herself in clear frustration.

It was only after a moment of scanning the room that she noticed one of her coworkers sitting on the couch just across the way. “Oh, hey,” she said with a sheepish smile, obviously a bit embarrassed, while straightening up her posture. She’d just a moment before been bending at the waist to look beneath a table. “You haven’t seen a small stuffed hippogriff, have you?” the blonde asked. “I realized when I got here this morning that my kid had stuffed it in my bag, but it must have fallen out sometime today.” Wally was normally a pretty happy and calm little boy, but if he learned that Mommy had lost Mr. Griff, consoling him would occupy her entire evening.

Even beyond the obvious reasons of not wanting to see her son upset, his tumultuous evening would completely ruin a night she’d been looking forward to for a while now. The boys were going to spend some time with Grandpa and Grandma O’Malley so that Mommy and Daddy could have a nice date night. Obviously with work the next day, it wouldn’t be a very late outing, but it had been far too long since she and Ryan had gone out to dinner, just the two of them. So to that end, both for Wally’s happiness and her own, she really needed to find that hippogriff.

12 Sophie O'Malley The (staff room) search 34 Sophie O'Malley 1 5

Liam Ammon

November 04, 2016 4:04 AM

Finders keepers? by Liam Ammon

The staff lounge still felt a little foreign to Liam. It was like he wasn’t actually supposed to be there, and if he got caught, he’d get detention for sure. Thankfully, these thoughts never left his head, otherwise people might actually start to question him. He had himself together, for the most part, it was just so strange seeing all the behind the scenes stuff he’d missed when he was going to school here. While the lounge itself wasn’t as awesomely decorated as his office was, the chances of running into a co-worker were definitely higher here, and the couch trumped his terrible desk chair. Liam had just finished looking over the results of the day’s lesson when the door to the lounge opened. He jumped a little, feeling a little like a kid with his hand stuck in the cookie jar, but it didn’t appear that the witch that entered cared he was there at all. Actually, Liam couldn’t be sure that she even noticed he was in there as she seemed to be searching for something.

His icy blue eyes watched her from beneath a furrowed brow as she moved about the room. He was about to ask if she needed help when she finally spotted him. Liam smiled and gave a small, slightly awkward wave, when the woman greeted him. “Hey. Um...no, but let me just…” Liam started as he stacked his papers neatly and set them on the floor before rising from the couch to search the cushions.

“A-ha!” Liam exclaimed, as he liberated the toy from the seat he was just occupying. “It appears that I’ve been sitting on him for the last hour. My bad.” Liam said with an embarrassed grin as he offered the stuffed hippogriff to his co-worker. “He’s warm now though, so he’s got that going for him.” As he neared the woman, and really got a good look at her, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of familiarity. Liam paused for a moment, narrowing his eyes slightly as he tried to figure out why he knew her, aside from the fact that the obviously worked at the same place, and he’d seen her around. “This is probably going to sound weird, so I’m sorry, but...was your last name Jamison?”

It’d had been many years since he’d gone to school at Sonora, but the potions professor bore a striking resemblance to the former Pecari Quidditch Captain Sophia Jamison. She was wearing a ring afterall, so it was possible. He didn’t really know Sophie when he was in school, given that she was a few years older than he was, and young Liam was definitely not an athlete. He was the exact opposite, actually. He’d been an awkward, chubby child who preferred comics to sports. It was hard not to know who your house Quidditch captain was though, considering how big the sport was at Sonora.

Puberty had been very kind to Liam. He shot up in height, learned to manage his weight, and since he was now in charge of his own hair, it actually had some sense of style. He looked the part of a respectable adult, and not the dorky pre-teen he’d been when he’d left Sonora. He was grateful for that. Internally though, Liam was still very much the goofy kid he’d always been.

"So, if the hippogriff yours, or do you have kids?"

5 Liam Ammon Finders keepers? 37 Liam Ammon 0 5

Sophie

November 05, 2016 1:00 AM

It's the "losers weepers" part I'm concerned about by Sophie

It was the new Muggle Studies professor--a young looking dude, Something Ammon, she believed--upon whom she stumbled. She appreciated his gesture of searching the couch for her, and, much to her relief, he was successful in locating the runaway hippogriff plush. “That’s not an issue,” she said with a laugh in regards to sitting on the poor guy. “I promise you aren’t the first, and you won’t be the last, either. Thanks a bunch.”

She accepted the animal back from him and shoved it back in her bag, shrinking slightly at his scrutinous looks. Something Ammon inquired to her maiden name, correctly guessing at it, at which point she returned the narrow-eyed expression he wore. If he recognized her, that meant she probably ought to recognize him back, but she was drawing a complete blank. “Yes, actually…. Do I know you?” He didn’t quite seem familiar, but he didn’t look like a perfect stranger, either, she realized upon further inspection, teetering just on the cusp of familiarity.

He had to be younger than her, she thought. Sophie herself looked a bit younger than she was, thanks partially to her diminutive size and partially to her mother’s good genetics. If he’d gone to Sonora, that would account for the almost-recognition. After all, she’d been fairly memorable as a Quidditch Captain; aside from the fancy family last names, those were the kinds of titles people remembered, the kinds of names they noticed. But aside from Ryan’s relatives, she had never really known many of the students behind her very well, except for perhaps the Quidditch team members.

In response to his latest question--was the hippogriff hers, or did she have kids?--the Pecari alumna held up two fingers. “Two kids,” she smiled fondly. “Little boys who, apparently, like to stick things in their mother’s purse. Maybe they thought I needed a little friend to keep me company during office hours. It can get a little boring. You probably know that, though. Hopefully you’re acclimating to the teacher life well?”

12 Sophie It's the "losers weepers" part I'm concerned about 34 Sophie 0 5

Liam

November 12, 2016 2:36 AM

No tears necessary by Liam

“You’re welcome. Glad I could be of assistance.” Liam laughed, if Sophie’s house was anything like his was growing up, she was very right. He didn’t have any kids of his own yet, (or nieces or nephews for that matter) but he’d spent a good amount of time around children when he’d worked as a magician for muggle birthday parties. Obviously it nowhere near compared to being a parent, but he was familiar with how irrational little ones could be, particularly when it came to not getting their way.

“Hey! I thought so! You probably don’t, I was like, a third year, I think, when you Quidditch Captain. I used to be in Pecari too. Forever ago it seems. I was a lot shorter back then. And fatter.” Liam smiled and put his hands in the pockets of his jeans, suddenly feeling some of that pre-teen awkwardness again. He’d made sure to choose his words carefully, he knew most women didn’t like to be reminded of their age, and though Sophie was only a few years older, he thought it best not to use the word old.

“O’Malley now though, huh, does that mean you’re related to Carrie?” He asked with wide blue eyes. It was no secret that Carrie O’Malley had been a rather unpleasant student, not that he’d really had much to do with her--thankfully. He couldn’t remember that much about any of Carrie’s siblings, as he had never really gone out of his way to learn more about her. Plus, back then, his social circle was basically a straight line between him and Aria. Somethings never change.

Liam smiled when Sophie revealed that she had two boys. “Excellent, well congratulations! And how thoughtful of them to see you off with a buddy.” He said, gesturing to her purse where the hippogriff toy was tucked away safely. “You must be very proud.” He rubbed the back of his neck as he considered her question about how well he was acclimating to his new position. “Office hours can be a little boring, and it’s definitely a bit weird being here again, and not getting to see my girlfriend as often as I’d like, but overall--it’s good. A bit lonely at times, as it appears that I am the baby of the staff, but good.”

“Potions though! That has to be a fun one to teach, I was never very good at it, but it was always one of the funner classes I thought.” He furrowed his brow a little as it occurred to him that Sophie was very likely a pureblood. From what he’d gathered, pureblooded witches generally stayed home with the kids, and here she was working. Nice. Liam knew better than to ask about it, but he couldn’t help but feel a little more respect for her.

5 Liam No tears necessary 37 Liam 0 5

Sophie

November 12, 2016 4:33 AM

That's always a plus by Sophie

Sophie looked up at Liam with scrutinizing but kind eyes, attempting to imagine him as an awkward, short, apparently chubby third year. That was obviously a lot of changes, since it’d been about a decade or something since that time, but there still had to be something there of what he’d been. “Oh, hey!” she exclaimed, recognition setting in, and, thankfully, she also managed to remember his first name now. “Yeah! I thought you looked kinda familiar, but I couldn’t place it until now. Good job on getting tall. You’ll have to tell me your secrets,” she added jokingly. At just under five foot, she was pretty sure most school years had first years taller than she was.

“Oh, God,” she groaned, tossing her head back at his next inquiry. She was a bit amused that he remembered Carrie, mostly because he couldn’t have pleasant memories and she liked as many people as possible to know what a bundle of waste that girl had always been. “Yes, unfortunately, everybody’s favorite Miss Carrie O’Malley is my sister-in-law, although I am thrilled to report that we haven’t heard anything from her in years now. My husband Ryan shares the same genes as her, but that’s where the resemblance stops. Complete opposites.” Sophie did have a vague curiosity about what became of that fruitcake. She certainly doubted any man wanted to marry that, even for societal connection benefits. That meant Carrie probably still lived with her even more awful mother. Even beyond it being a safe bet, she didn’t care enough to make inquiries. The only thing she could ever imagine needing or wanting Carrie for was if one of her boys got sick and needed a kidney or something, and Sophie had no problem with taking one of Carrie’s by force.

And speaking of her boys: “Thanks, we are,” she beamed. Nothing had ever made her more proud in her whole life, which had been a major shock to her that had only really set in when she held a bundle in each arm the day they were born. “I so feel you on the office hours thing. I only teach three days a week, so the other two I’m just sitting around in case anyone’s got questions. I do make Coach Grase keep me company part of the time, though. You’re welcome to pop by or join us for lunch or something, by the way.” Sophie was, she thought, the staff baby prior to Liam’s employment, depending on when Amelle’s birthday fell. Though not a title she was completely certain she had worn, it did feel nice to have someone else wear it. Not being the baby felt a touch more professional.

“It’s super fun,” she said of teaching Potions. “Truthfully I never really saw myself as a teacher, more like an apothecary or something, but sometimes life just has other plans. I do love it, though. And it’s so nice to get to come back to the same classroom that I basically grew up in.” She imagined he could relate, to an extent; his class had not been an option during their school days. “What about Muggle Studies? I wish we would’ve had that option when we were students. It seems interesting.”

12 Sophie That's always a plus 34 Sophie 0 5