Professor Fawcett
March 17, 2014 9:34 AM
Head of House Speech by Professor Fawcett
Sonora Academy had been built in the nineteenth century, not the eleventh, and for a relatively small population, so it was not as large or as structurally complex as some magical schools. John knew for a fact, having attended the school himself as a boy many years previously, that there were some hidden passages and surprising spots, but even then, he had suspected them of being added more for the form of the thing than for genuinely defensive reasons. Secrecy had been three centuries old by then, Muggles deep in figuring out science, and they were in the middle of a desert which remained, even with the Muggles' current level of technology, largely uninhabited, and attacks by other wizards were not especially likely, either. Sonora was a mansion, not a defensive fortress, like the older schools he'd seen in Europe and to a lesser extent South America.It was, however, still large and complicated enough to offer first years some trouble, so he took care to point out landmarks along the way to the new students, a few statues and particularly, either in their subjects or how much their subjects talked, vivid portraits and rooms the students might have some use of, before they reached a large pair of double doors.
"Here," he informed the first years, "is the entrance to the library." He allowed a moment for any murmurs or ecstatic announcements of appreciation the students might wish to make. "Our common room can be reached through the library," he added with a smile, which vanished as he added sternly to that, "but the library itself is open to students of every House, so I expect you to all conduct yourselves here with as much decorum as you would anywhere else, and to treat Librarian Nicchi with as much respect as you would me." His expression relaxed again as he said, "do so, and I expect you will all enjoy the library very much. Be sure to keep an eye out for the library assistants' sign-up sheet, if you are interested in spending a great deal of time here; it's a good way to get to know some of your older classmates as well."
From there, he led them through the warren of shelves, through the Arithmancy and Astronomy sections, past literature and then making a left turn at Transfiguration before they reached the back wall, which held books on various animals. Another few feet and they were looking at the Academy's generous collection of books about birds.
"Pull out this book," he said, touching a book entitled Birds of Prey, "and the door to the common room will open. Easy enough, but you must never tell anyone else about this place," he warned them. "No one outside of Aladren is to know."
Privately, he suspected anyone observant would know where the other Houses were inside a few months, but traditions were traditions and the tradition the Founders descended from regarded one's House as a second family, a tradition itself from an age when wizards had sought to protect their homes and families from each other as much as from the Muggles. If the Houses here ever did go to war, John thought his would fare well, but he really doubted that would ever come to pass. He opened the door and led them inside the Aladren common room, a large, comfortable space in spite of its bruise-like color scheme, with lots of well-worn seating and bookshelves arranged in ways meant to accommodate either lone students at study or larger groups of friends who wanted to work or talk together. It was not really cold enough to warrant it in September, but a fire burned in a large, square stone fireplace, which John stood with his back to, his feet on a lane rug woven to depict the Aladren Hawk.
"As you may have guessed, this is the Aladren common room," he said. "Your home for the next seven years. You may spend free time here or in school-wide common areas, such as the Cascade Hall or the Gardens, but must be back here by curfew every night. Going to bed and getting an adequate night's sleep is up to you - " late-night study sessions would likely be a feature of Aladren long after every student in this room was older than he was, amd Aladrens could like staying up all night gossiping with friends as much as anyone else - "but a reasonable quiet is expected after nine p.m.
"Here is the notice board," he continued, indicating a large board, fairly bare now, beside the door. "You'll soon find the Quidditch sign-ups here - our captain is Head Boy Pierce, who I'm sure will be glad to answer any questions you have. We have an excellent team - our second-to-last Seeker, I understand, is the first student from Sonora to go play Quidditch professionally in several years - and you are all welcome to contribute.
"Our prefects are Miss Henrietta Boxton-Fox-Reynolds, Mr. Lucian D'Alesandro, and Mr. Anthony Carey. We are also delighted to have both the Head Boy, Mr. Thaddeus Pierce, and Head Girl, Miss Alicia Bauer, in our House this year." He could not help but smile at that; he had always expected those two and Miss Boxton-Fox-Reynolds to do well, and they had not disappointed him. "You may speak to them or to me - my office is just through there, and there's another door down the hall - if you have any questions or concerns, or need any help settling in. Aladrens are known for our independence, for solving our own problems as well as those of others, but we support each other as well. Two heads, as they say, are often better than one.
"Now. Girls' dorms are up the stairs and down the corridor to your left, boys on the right. Your rooms are marked with your year number. I must warn you against attempting to enter the corridor which is not yours, as they are enchanted to drop you back down into the common room and give you a hard landing if you do." At this age, they'd be more interested in sneaking mice or such into each other's beds than what the charms were really there for, but he though the prohibition a good thing for everyone all around.
"If there are any questions about these matters, or your first day tomorrow - " John remembered Quentin Melcher, a long-departed and very pedantic student, more fondly than most who had known him did, but he remembered him just the same - "you may ask them now. Otherwise, you may go settle into your new rooms, and try to get some rest, as you'll have quite an exciting day tomorrow." He clasped his hands behind his back and waited to see if there were any questions.
OOC: Welcome to Aladren! You may now post on any board (besides other common rooms if you do not have a character in those Houses). Remember the posting rules (at least 200 words, with good spelling, grammar, creativity, and realism, and not writing for other people's characters),which you can find in full on the home page, and have fun!
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