starting fresh {open}

[gavin henry bertram]

Gavin never would have thought that he would be back at this school again. Honestly, in his youth he hadn't had the fondness for it that everyone else had, hadn't been able to call it much of a home. The schedule, so inflexible, and the marks given on all the assignments... They had been enough to drive him mad. Then again, he had never really been a man with a plan. Why else would he suddenly find himself back at the place that he, while he had never detested it, had never loved? Though Gavin was beginning to see that maybe he really was needed here- classes had only been in session a week, and it was glaringly apparent that his pupils needed an entire reworking in the way they approached Divination.

The old teacher, bless her soul, might have been his favourite, but she was mostly a fraud- approached the subject in the same way that one might with more solid things like charms or transfiguration. The truth was, there really wasn't a single "right" way to go about divining the future. True, not everyone had the knack for it, fewer still had true ability of Sight such as himself, but if anyone was going to have a chance at coming close all those silly rules needed to go right out the window. Gavin had, of course, over the years figured out a formula for how he would divine things from the beyond, but what worked for him wouldn't necessarily work for everyone else.

That was the beauty of Divination, nothing was solid, it was definitely the most personal area of study one could encounter in Hogwarts. Stepping out into the weak sunlight, Gavin took in a deep breath, the morning really was lovely. An early-riser by nature, Gavin was typically out and about before most people thought about getting out of bed, he liked the quiet stillness of daybreak. He padded barefoot to the garden, the ground was soft from yesterday's rain, and mud squelched up between his toes, though he paid no mind. The sensation was soothing in a way, connecting him to the earth. He began to lightly hum to himself as he walked among the plants, adopting a more rhythmic, swaying quality to his steps in time to the nonsensical tune he was humming.

Such a beautiful morning. The sun was a rare sight these days, it really was lovely to bask in it's warming glow. Had Gavin not accepted this post, he might have migrated someplace sunnier, perhaps somewhere along the Mediterranean. He often had daydreams of the countryside of Italy or the remote islands of Greece, they seemed to him such agreeable places. But he was needed here, he would stay. For too long Hogwarts had been without a true Seer, who was he to abandon them now? Particularly when things weren't quite right. The castle was still abuzz with gossip about the Dark Mark that had been spotted at the end of August. While Gavin did find its presence disturbing, he wished people would stop talking about it.

It made the general consensus of emotions run high, and that in turn began clouding his Inner Eye. Since arriving at the school his visions had dimmed, and he found crystal gazing almost an exercise in futility. But here in the garden, when the sun had barely risen and the school was still sleeping... It was soothing, helped to clear his mind. Gavin abruptly stopped humming when he rounded a corner, gaze falling upon a shadow that wasn't coming from any plant. His eyes traced it back to his origin to see the back of someone. Odd, he hadn't thought anyone else would be here at this hour...

[cassie marie bennett]

Cassie was torn. On the one hand she was ecstatic, beyond happy to back at school, at home, where she belonged, but the other part of her missed her Mother more than she cared to admit outloud. For so long it had been just her and her Mum, they were closer than most and Cassie couldn't shake the feelings of guilt every single time she got on that train to return to the school. Part of her felt almost like she was abandoning her Mother but deep down she knew that wasn't true, this was where she needed to be and Cassie knew how happy her Mother was over the fact she was at Hogwarts. The guilt would pass soon, as would the missing her Mum so much, once she was settled down once more.

There was something so warm and comforting about being in the castle. Cassie felt almost protected, sheilded away from all the evil in the world. It was almost as if being behind these walls made you feel invincible like nothing or no one could hurt you and after what had happened to her Dad, Cassie liked that. It's what made her dread leaving the school for good, though that was two years away so she didnt linger too long on those kind of thoughts, instead she chose to enjoy her here and now.

And at this school, if there was one thing she loved it was the early mornings. Cassie made sure to get up before all of her classmates just so she could enjoy the sunrise, the early morning feeling. There was something so strangely peaceful about that time of day, something so calming and reassuring, the promise of a new day and she loved it. Not only that but she enjoyed the feeling of the grass beneath her feet, damp with the early morning dew, she liked the feeling of it beneath her feet, between her toes. There was something so freeing about walking around barefoot. With that in mind the best place to be aside from the lake was the small garden and that's where she found herself again this morning.

With a bright smile she curled her toes, reveling in the feeling of the grass beneath her feet, her face turned up to the sky inhaling deeply, enjoying the variety of smells wading through the air. Swinging her hands at her side she slowly made her way through the garden, stopping not long after beside a flower bush. Biting down on her lip she leaned forward, her fingers lightly grazing the pink and purple petals before she lightly inhaled the fresh, floral scent, letting her eyes drift closed for a moment before she pulled back. Tucking her hair behind her ear, she took a step back and turned a gasp escaping her lips and her hand flying to her chest in surprise. "Professor Bertram...you surprised me.." she chuckled, smiling at yet slightly surprised to see anyone else out at this time.

Outfit

[gavin henry bertram]

Gavin was still getting over his shock at having come across another person in the garden that he hardly realised the girl seemed as surprised as he was, if not more so. Not that he could blame her, he was easily startled himself, something which he friends knew full well and often took advantage of- seeking to find places to hide so they could jump out as he passed. Gavin supposed that he ought to be used to it by now, but he reacted just as violently as the first time. It was part of who he was, strong reactions, not at all difficult to catch off guard owing to his overactive mind, constantly shifting from topic to topic.

Gavin's eyes traced the girl, she was one of his students, and normally he was impeccable with names, but he had a lot of them to learn and thus far hadn't had much time to memorize them. But if given a month or so he'd have everyone's name down. But now it was a bit too difficult of a task, Gavin needed to settle back into what was called a normal schedule again. It was definitely weird, he hadn't been raised to follow something like that. Classes from nine in the morning until three in the afternoon- with a break at noon for lunch.

And then, as the year progressed, he would have assignments to look over and assign scores to, which would likely take up a good amount of his evening. Gavin wasn't looking forward to it, having to grade someone's thinking- in a way it would all be correct. He was half-tempted to throw out all curriculum whatsoever, and just have class times be dedicated to opening the Inner Eye and allowing things to simply come as they pleased, but something told him the Headmaster wouldn't go for that.

They liked to have their schedules and grading scales, so Gavin would have to go along with it. But he wasn't going to do homework. No essays or predictions based on moon charts- the only thing he would assign would be for his students to keep a dream journal, and that was hardly any work at all. If they wanted to study more on their own time, that was up to them, but he wasn't going to force it. Besides, Gavin was already getting the impression that most students were taking his class simply to fill holes in their schedules and fulfill graduation requirements rather than of actual interest in Divination.

Gavin worked hard at not crinkling his nose at the way she addressed him. Professor. He didn't like the title, even though he supposed it ought to be something of honour, not many people were sought out to teach at the school. He should be proud to have student call him that. But he wasn't. "I was a bit surprised myself, didn't think I would come across anyone, actually," said Gavin, looking around a moment, "and please, it's Gavin when not in the classroom. 'Professor' is such a stiff thing to say, don't you think?"

[cassie marie bennett]

Cassie was incredibly surprised to see someone else up at this time of the morning, especially a teacher though she figured it made sense for most of them to be up, lesson planning and all that. Though if she was honest she didn't spend too much time thinking about teachers lifes, they were adults she wasn't, not yet anyway. To mix the two she figured may not be a good idea or maybe she was, once again thinking on things that didn't really matter in the long run. A bad habit but something that couldn't be helped.

Professor Bertram was one of the newer teachers here and she did like him as much as she could considering they'd had one maybe two lessons together in the last week. She liked all her teachers and Divination was a subject she did enjoy, not her favorite but she had liked it enough to take it as one of her options for the last couple years here at Hogwarts. It had always fascinated her, the subject as a whole, the idea of fortelling the future, being able to predict the outcomes of some situations or how things were going to turn out. She knew of course there were probably not that many real seers anymore and the rest of them were just fakes but still she enjoyed the idea of the whole thing.

Scratching her arm she looked at the Professor and smiled softly, surprised at being caught but not really minding there was anyone else here. It was surprising of course, since she thought she was alone but she really didn't mind. She liked talking to people, being around them. Of course there were many times all she wanted was her own company but she really didn't mind being with people instead. As he spoke she smiled again, tucking her hair behind her ear idly as she nodded her head, her cheeks slightly flushing a soft pink when he asked her instead to call him Gavin when they weren't in the classroom. Something about that felt strange as most Professors were sticklers for the whole Professor title, in and out of class.

Though she figured if it was something the Professor wanted she'd at least try when they weren't in class. Though how often she'd see him out of class, aside from now was pretty much unknown. "I'll try to remember that sir...I mean, um...Gavin." she replied, fighting the urge to crinkle her nose. See it sounded strange to her but in the end she figured it wasn't too bad. Rubbing her hands on her skirt lightly she looked around, tilting her face up to the sky for a moment before letting her eyes fall back down to the Professor, shooting him a warm smile.

"Usually I never see anyone wandering around at this time..." she commented off-handedly. Maybe he was an early rider like she was, not many people were, most people enjoyed their beds too much but whilst the weather was still glorious, who'd want to miss that morning sunrise or miss watching the whole world, the beautiful nature allaround them, slowly awaken. It was magic all on it's own and her favorite part of the day, minus night time.

[gavin henry bertram]

Name, name, what was the name? For whatever reason Gavin was bothered that he couldn't remember, though he figured it was understandable- the year had only just begun, he'd only had each group of students a few times, it was understandable that he hadn't gotten them all in his head. Though for whatever reason, Gavin considered it insulting when people couldn't remember him, and he normally has such a mind for these things. And when he did forget, usually something about the person might spark his Inner Eye, and at least put him on the right track. Divining a specific name, that was difficult, damn near impossible, but getting a general idea? That was usually quite possible.

Gavin's eyes traced the girl's form, never settling on a specific place long enough to really take anything in, he was scanning for clues, the physical things meant little to him, it was what his Inner Eye Saw that was important. Definitely a C, Gavin decided, probably two syllables. Casey, or Cathy or something along the lines of that. Though there was something that stood out to him about her other than the name, something that was either going to happen or already had. Struggle. He could feel it radiating off her in waves.

Of course, it was a common thing for Gavin to come across, particularly these days. There was unrest in the world, and it was going to start affecting people, a lot of people. Whether or not it had anything to do with the sudden reappearance of the Dark Mark after a twenty-two year hiatus, he had no idea. But there was something coming their way. Granted, it might not take a Seer to say something along the lines of that, people had been feeling the stirrings of change for quite some time, since the spring, really.

Gavin knitted his eyebrows when he was addressed as "sir," while hardly on par with the stiffness of "Professor," it still was a great deal more formal than he would like. He had been raised to think of all people as being on the same level, it was an odd concept for him to be in a position of authority above other people.His expression relaxed into a toothy smile when Katie or Cathy or whatever her name was corrected herself and instead used his first name when addressing him. That was much better, doing away with that formal nonsense and simply allowing them to have a conversation like two normal people.

Gavin nodded when she said she didn't usually come across other people at this time of day, he had similar experiences himself- he was one of the extreme early-risers, hardly able to lie in bed once the sun had started coming up. "It's not a typical thing to rise with the sun anymore," Gavin said indifferently with a shrug of his shoulders. He lowered himself onto the ground, folding his legs beneath him- taking a moment to close his eyes, take a deep breath, and relish in the sunlight before continuing. "But it is good for the Sight and good for the soul to be active when the rest of the world isn't," Gavin added, placing his hands on his knees.

[cassie marie bennett]

Cassie smiled once more at Gavin, strangely feeling okay with calling him that. Sure it was odd, she wasn't used to referring to any kind of teacher by their first name but it did feel oddly okay, as long as she remembered to refer to him in the right manner in classes it was okay right? He certainly seemed to think so, he seemed a hell of alot more laid back when compared to her other Professors. Cassie had known from her first lesson he was one of the rare Professors that every single student lucky enough to be in his class was going to like...as long as they didn't try his patience of couse.

"It's not a typical thing to rise with the sun anymore," he said and she had to nod, that much was true, most people much prefered to stay in bed, sleeping and she didn't think there was nything wrong with that, she was simply and early riser. To much to miss on she felt, she liked being awake at the same time the world began to wake up, nothing else compared to it really. Magic all by itself, it truly was, she knew she'd never tire of it. It was the same as when it rained, the scent in the air, she loved everything about it.

Scratching her arm again she watched as her divination teacher shrugged his shoulders and lowered himself down onto the ground. Rocking onto the side of her foot she smiled slightly, looking down at him where he sat, watching as he closed his eyes, taking a deep breath seemingly feeling very relaxed. At least relaxed enough to do something like that and it made her smile widen some more as she found a calm doing the same thing. Her other favorite thing to do was go down to the lake, stand in it so the water reached her knees and just revel in the feel of her toes buried in the soil and the water swishing around her legs.

"But it is good for the Sight and good for the soul to be active when the rest of the world isn't," he said to her and Cassie nodded her head with a smile before following suit and sitting down. Though instead of crossing her legs like he had done, she was on her knees, sitting back on her feet, her hands resting neatly on her lap. "I like watching everything waking up...it's magical almost, plus watching the sunrise is something I wouldn't dare miss." she said, it was a sight she would never grow tired of.

[gavin henry bertram]

Gavin couldn't help the gentle smile that refused to fade from his lips- this was his favourite time of day, and being added to it was a relatively pleasant social interaction, what more could he ask for? Not many staff members could be seen out and about just having casual conversation with the students, though Gavin liked to think that he could be different in that regard. True, talking with too many people tended to cloud his Inner Eye, hence why he had already learned to stick to the North Tower or his quarters during the busier times of day, crowds never did his Sight any good. There was too much to process, and he wanted to See everything all at once.

A small group was more agreeable, and this, one-on-one interaction, was the gold standard. Nothing got better than that, allowing his mind and his normally active Sight to focus on just one person. Really, it was lovely. Gavin again allowed his eyes to sweep the girl's form, inviting his Inner Eye to open up and grant him more information as it saw fit, he took it as a personal challenge to figure out the little things about people without them having to say anything, and with his friends, he liked to surprise them with what he could figure out.

Of course, it couldn't always happen, one could never See upon command, and if anyone were to try it could have comical results- overly tragic or otherwise completely silly things that couldn't be further from truth. Or otherwise things simply made up by the subconscious, nothing of any sort of precognition. That was perhaps what Gavin found people were least likely to understand about Seers. It wasn't something capable of being controlled, like the abilities of an Animagus or a Metamorphmagus, most of the time it was entirely at random- he had been known to be struck with visions at the most inopportune moments.

Gavin adjusted his position, placing his elbows on his knees, and leaning forward to rest his chin on his fists, nodding a bit and smiling as Katie or Cathy or Cassie spoke. Cassie... Cassie! That was the name, wasn't it? Gavin felt an overwhelming surge of correctness at the thought, perhaps it really was her name. He'd have to find an opportunity to slip it into the conversation to see if it was correct, though he wouldn't put priority on it. "Right you are," said Gavin in agreement, "such wisdom, not many people realise that."

[cassie marie bennett]

If she was right, Gavin was a seer. That made him a hell of a lot more qualified for the position of Divination Professor than the last one. Nothing against her of course, Cassie herself had found the woman rather pleasent and a joy to be around but a real seer...that was bound to do wonders to how the subject was taught right? At least she hoped so, she'd always loved how close she could get to nature, but to see it the way Gavin did, she envied that, well only a little. She'd settle for looking at the world the old fashioned way, she didn't mind in the slightest it was still magical.

As he adjusted his position she remained in hers, sitting comfortably on her knees confident she'd have to wipe down the back of her dress before she headed back inside for breakfast and such. Gavin was smiling so that had to be something right? It was odd being made to feel at ease around a Professor, she doubted she'd ever be able to see him as anything other than that. She was the student and whilst she liked the friendly chit chat right now, like really liked due to the newness of it, she knew she wouldn't be able to truly relax around him like her friends and she doubted he would either but it didn't matter.

They were talking now and it was nice so she stopped thinking so much and just tried to enjoy how the morning was going. "I think they do...it's just most people opt for the comfort of their bed most of the time and you can't blame them for that." she chuckled slightly, on the cooler days she often opted for her bed, enjoying how she could curl beneath her warmth of her duvet, fending of the cold. That's when Sundays became pyjama days in her eyes and her Mothers, Cassie missed how they'd be lazy and just chill in front of the television watching the cheesiest films they could find.

Looking away from the flowers she was sat close to, her fingers reaching out to lightly skim over the soft petals, she focused on Professor...no...Gavin once more and smiled slightly, "So how are you settling in, with your classes and such?" she asked by way of keeping the conversation going. It was an obvious question of course but she was interested in how he was getting on being new and all, it must be strange returning to school after so many years to teach.

[gavin henry bertram]

Gavin again lightly closed his eyes, taking another one of those deep breaths, though this time the moment of silence was interrupted by his Inner Eye- no longer willing to be quiet. Though his Sight was still foggy from trying to force himself into a schedule and being in a building with so many other people, he caught only a glimpse. Green was all his conscious mind was able to hold onto. It wasn't uncommon for him to get these snippets, and while they very seldom told anything- like looking at a single piece of a puzzle, and not an important anchor piece like an edge or corner- sometimes they were preferable to full ones.

He didn't get the headaches with these, didn't collapse after them, in fact they barely affected him at all, unless he was in the middle of speaking, then he would stop dead and not remember what he was saying when he came back. Though he didn't have to worry about it this time as he opened his eyes, thinking now about green. Green could be a number of things, normally it implied good things, like wealth, life, and fertility, but this green had been decidedly neutral. Not bad, he didn't have any sense of foreboding, but he didn't have any of the positive notions usually attached with the colour.

Odd. He blinked the thoughts away, perhaps he might gain some more Sight on this flash of colour later. More puzzle pieces that he might be able to fit together. Yes, surely that would happen. Or, Gavin supposed, the flash of green might not mean anything in particular, sometimes that happened, too. It was frustrating, but sometimes the Inner Eye wandered, it didn't always pick out useful things. "A fair point," said Gavin with another slight shrug of his shoulders. He himself never understood people who lazed in the mornings, regardless of how the weather was. When he woke he was ready to face the day, never saw any use in lingering in bed, it just made him feel poorly.

He allowed the present conversation to die, not having anything else to contribute to it, though Cassie was quick to bring up another topic, asking him how he was settling in. "It is a change of pace for certain," said Gavin, halfway frowning, "I'm not used to such rigidity in a schedule, it makes it that much harder on the Sight, but I'm adjusting." Really, if he could have it his way he wouldn't have set class times, he would just sit up in the North Tower and allow students to come and go as they pleased.

[cassie marie bennett]

"A fair point,"

Something about the way he said that made her guess he wasn't much of one to lounge in bed, have lazy mornings, and enjoy just casually dozing in and out of sleep. Fair enough if that's how he felt, not everyone did. Sure she loved her early mornings but she did enjoy those rare times just laying in bed awake, slowly preparing to get up and face the day but not feeling like you had to rush. It was nice sometimes and often set you up for a pretty great day in her mind. Sunday's were the best times most days, especially on rainy days, when you could just gaze out your window whilst remaining huddled beneath your warm blanket, so peaceful.

Part of her worried she was bothering him. If he was up this early perhaps he had been hoping to spend some time alone, quietly enjoying the early morning. After all he was a seer right, maybe he needed something like this, maybe it helped with his sight? Yet here she was sat down with him, without being invited, chatting away. Though he wasn't giving any indication she was bothering him she did worry somewhat, it was just how she was. Though she figured she'd sit and talk for a few more minutes then leave him to whatever it was he was going to do out here, she needed to shower anyway before everyone awoke.

"It is a change of pace for certain, I'm not used to such rigidity in a schedule, it makes it that much harder on the Sight, but I'm adjusting."

Smiling at him she nodded her head, "Well that's good, at least if you get used to it I mean. Times like this should help right? I mean with the quiet..." she quietened and mentally rolled her eyes. Well it wasn't very quiet now was it for him with her rambling on and on down his ear. Smiling sheepishly she tucked her hair behind her ear, "Sorry I have a nasty habit of just rattling on...usually people have to tell me to shut up." she chuckled wishing that she was joking but the sad truth was sometimes that filter between her brain and mouth didn't compute.

[gavin henry bertram]

Gavin once again shifted his position, this time to free his hands, which immediately migrated to the grass before him, beginning to lightly knot a couple of blades together. Given his upbringing, he didn't intentionally bring harm to any kind of living thing, plant or otherwise, but his logic had been that tangling individual strands of grass didn't bring it any real harm. Though Gavin did, for the most part, agree with his upbringing. Everyone working together peacefully, nobody being in any sort of position of authority over anyone else, taking care of one's neighbours, things like that. He was already beginning to miss the commune, though he figured he could bring aspects of it here.

Act toward his students as if they were peers rather than inferiors, be as flexible in his days as the rigid school schedule would permit... Of course, it wasn't all bad, this dramatically different way of life, otherwise he would have never agreed to take the position at the school. Gavin did appreciate the solitary nature of it a bit more than he thought- here he really only ever needed to care for himself. The wages he earned were his to do with as he pleased, there was nobody else he needed to provide for. He'd only gotten his pay once thus far, but already it was far more money than he was used to having.

And he had no idea what to do with it. Gavin lived at the school, his meals were provided, and really he had all the robes he needed. So he figured he'd just let whatever he made stew in his Gringott's vault until he came up with some sort of plan. Maybe he'd use whatever funds he accumulated during the year to fund traveling during the summer holiday. Gavin chuckled a little at Cassie's ramblings, he wasn't bothered, not when he could babble for hours himself- just the other day he had spent half the lesson with his fourth years discussing the influence of The Weird Sisters over modern popular music. He was prone to going on random tangents, a trait he figured he ought to get under control in order to teach properly. "Not to worry, Cassie, I'm the same way," Gavin said warmly with a smile.

[cassie marie bennett]

Clasping her hands together on her lap Cassie smiled at the Professor. Watching as he began tangling the grass between his fingers she allowed the silence to lapse between them for a moment not feeling the need to fill it with idle chit chat. Conversation was fine, rambling was funny but filling the silence with silly things would likely do more damage than any kind of good and more than likely would bring the conversation between them to an abrupt, unsure silence. Right now it was comfortable and she was enjoying herself more than she would have ever thought she would. Nothing against the Professors but not many were so easy going sadly, though she figured they didn't need to be.

"Well it's good to know I'm not the only one who does it." she chuckled, tucking her hair behind her ear when Gaving went on to say he did the same thing. She really did ramble on sometimes, not knowing when to just shut up but no one ever seemed to mind. Everything that come out of her mouth was always something positive so most just let her get on with it. In regards to her Mother, she found her amusing a lot of the time, saying when she wasn't talking she was singing and dancing, her daughter had never been one for silence.

Though that in itself was wrong because Cassie did enjoy the quiet when she was alone, it's just when she was with other people she felt the need to talk., she was a social butterfly it was only natural right? Twisting her fingers together she looked around again before refocusing on Gavin, chewing on the inside of her mouth. "Everyone will be waking soon." she commented, turning her focus to the sky and then back down to Gavin, a light smile on her face, tucking a stray lock of hair away from her face again suddenly looking forward to breakfast.

[gavin henry bertram]

Gavin couldn't help his gentle smile, he honestly couldn't have asked for a nicer, more easygoing morning. It was the exact sort of thing that he had been longing for since returning the school- giving himself the illusion that at least for a few hours there wasn't anything that he specifically had to accomplish. That wasn't to say that Gavin was the type to lay around when there wasn't anything to do, he was a busybody by nature, wanting to be out and about, experiencing things and satisfying his curiosity. And the years he had spent in the commune after graduating had been some of his most productive.

He'd taken up gardening, and spent a great deal of time in his studies. Gavin had published many a work on Divination and his findings, as well as his own method for decoding otherwise common symbols one encountered in visions, crystal gazing, and reading of tea leaves. Gavin found that for so long nobody had questioned the established guidelines that it was hardly a wonder the subject had grown stale in the academic community- as well as the vast majority of scholars being under the impression that it was a frivolous, imprecise branch of magic. And while that was arguably true in some regards, Gavin was looking to bring it back to mainstream.

Which of course, was a lofty goal, but it had given him something to do with the thirteen years between his graduation and returning to the school, this time as a teacher. "But of course," said Gavin, "I feel more people ought to have the gift of gab, keeps things from going stale." He smiled again. He blinked and another incomplete vision came to him- green like the last, but there was a feeling attached to it, fear, a sudden icy feeling, this was not a good vision at all... Gavin inhaled sharply, blinking forcefully as the snippet faded away again. "So sorry, duck, did you say something?" said Gavin, having missed what Cassie said.