Two days later, on Monday, Oliver woke up and headed straight to the
kitchen for breakfast. Lightning was waiting for him with a letter. He
picked it up and saw the green ink on the envelope, and saw the Hogwarts
crest on the back. He tore it open and read the letter inside. It said:
Dear Mr. Wood,
You are requested to report for new teacher orientation on Thursday, August 28th at noon. Please apparate to Hogsmeade and wait in front of the Three Broomsticks pub. Hagrid will meet you and bring you to the school in a carriage. As you know, it is not possible to apparate and disapparate on Hogwarts grounds. As our flying instructor, you will not need to bring extra materials with you other than your own broomstick, clothing and personal items. We look forward to your arrival here.
Sincerely,
Albus Dumbledore
Headmaster
Oliver spent the rest of that day and the next two days finishing up his packing and getting his house ready to leave. He got Lightning's cage out of the cupboard and put it with his trunk. Here he let her be outside most of the time, but he would need somewhere for her to stay at school. He didn't really want her to stay outside at Hogwarts with the dark forest being so close.
Thursday arrived much faster than Oliver thought it would. He got up around 9:00 and got dressed, then checked his house to make sure that everything was in order for him to leave. He leaned out the window and called for Lightning to come in so that he could shut her in her cage. Around 11:00 he put on his traveling cloak, and then gathered his things together and apparated to the Three Broomsticks. He planned to get a bite to eat for brunch there before going outside to wait for Hagrid.
At the Three Broomsticks, Oliver got a butterbeer and pancakes, his favorite breakfast. He fed little bits of pancake to Lightning as he ate. There were a lot of people outside walking around. Since Hogsmeade was an all-wizarding town, the people could come and go as they pleased without worrying about whether any muggles were watching or not. Most of the people seemed to be going into either Zonko's joke shop or Honeyduke's sweet shop. Those had been his favorite stores to visit when he was a student at Hogwarts. He finished his breakfast at a quarter to twelve and lugged his heavy trunk back outside, being careful not to dump Lightning off of the top.
Oliver finally managed to get his trunk back outside and sat down on it to wait for Hagrid. He looked around and saw a girl to his right sitting on a trunk as well. She too had an owl. His Lightning was a white eagle owl with black spots, but hers was a tawny owl with a tan-colored face. She was wearing a light gray traveling cloak and wore her long, wavy, golden blonde hair down. He could see a set of royal blue robes peeking out from under her cloak.
She checked her watch and then began looking around again. She also seemed to be waiting for something, but while she was waiting she seemed to be drinking in her surroundings. This was probably her first time in Hogsmeade. Oliver wondered where she was from and who or what she was waiting for. Just then, he saw a carriage turn a bend in the road from Hogwarts and approach the town. He stood up so that he would be ready when Hagrid arrived. He looked over at the girl and noticed that she too had stood up and was gathering up her things.
Hagrid brought the carriage to a stop in front of the Three Broomsticks. He climbed down from the driver's seat and turned to Oliver.
"Hello Oliver!" he said in a booming voice. "It's good to see ya again!"
"It's great to see you too, Hagrid. I trust you've been taking good care yourself."
"Of course, of course." Hagrid then turned to the blonde-haired girl. "And you must be Adrianna Brighton," he said.
"Yes, I am. Hagrid, I presume?" she asked a little shyly. Oliver immediately noticed her American accent.
"That'd be me. It's nice to meet you, professor," he said.
"Nice to meet you too," she said, shaking his enormous hand.
"Well, I don't s'pose you two've met. This is Oliver Wood, and this is Prof. Brighton," said Hagrid, introducing them.
"Please, call me Adrianna. Professor sounds too formal," she said.
Oliver shook her hand and looked up at her. This was the first time he had really gotten a good look at her. He saw her pretty face with the deep denim blue eyes framed by her golden blonde hair and recognized her immediately. She was the American chaser who had scored against him in the semi-final match.
Hagrid opened the door to the carriage for Oliver and Adrianna. "You two can get in while I put yer stuff on top o' the carriage," he said. Oliver climbed in first, then turned around and offered his hand to Adrianna to help her up. She took his hand and climbed in, then sat down in the seat across from him. Hagrid handed their owls to them through the open door. "Didn't think ya'd want them bouncin aroun on top o' the carriage," he explained and shut the door.
"I know you. You're a chaser on the American quidditch team," Oliver blurted out.
"Yea, I seem to be recognized a bit more since we won the cup. I guess it's all part of my 15 minutes of fame. You look familiar though, too. I know you weren't on England's team. Must be Scottish. Keeper, aren't you?"
"Yes, I'm surprised you remember me. Is it safe to assume that you're teaching here this year?"
"Yea I'm teaching Muggle Studies. How about you?"
"Flying instructor and quidditch coach."
"Oh that's so exciting! I wish I could do that... of course, I'm happy with any position at Hogwarts. It's the best school of witchcraft and wizardry in the world. I loved my school in the US, but I wish I could have gone to Hogwarts. Did you go here?"
"Yes, it's terrific. I think you're going to like it here."
"What's your owl's name? Mine's Sunrise, or Sunny for short," said Adrianna.
"Mine's Lightning," said Oliver. "What kind of family are you from?"
"I'm muggle born. My mom and dad almost didn't let me go to a wizarding school. They said it was against our religion."
"Really? How did you convince them to let you go?"
"I told them that I could be a witch and still be a Christian. I told them that it was a once in a lifetime opportunity. And when that didn't work, I begged and pleaded and cried until they finally let me go."
Oliver laughed. "And what do they think about you teaching at a wizarding school?"
"They ummm... well I didn't exactly tell them. I just told them that I got a job offer from a private school in Scotland and that it would be a good thing for me to do right now. I went to a muggle college to become a teacher after I graduated from wizarding school, so they pretty much expected me to get a teaching job somewhere. I figured the further away, the better if I was going to teach at a wizarding school."
"Do they know that you play quidditch?"
"No. I forgot to mention that to them as well. What kind of family are you from?" she asked, changing the subject.
"I'm from a pure blood family. My parents were really excited for me when I got my Hogwarts letter."
Adrianna was about to say something else to him, but just then the carriage stopped and she closed her mouth and stood up. Hagrid opened the carriage door and helped them both step down, then handed their owls to them again.
"Go on inside, Professor Dumbledore'll be waitin' for ya. I'll bring yer things up in a few minutes."
Oliver and Adrianna walked up the gray stone stairs and entered the massive doors of the castle together.
Professor Dumbledore was waiting inside the double doors waiting to greet them.
"Hello, Adrianna and Oliver. Welcome to Hogwarts. Or, in Oliver's case, welcome back to Hogwarts!" he said, shaking hands with them. "Adrianna, I've arranged for Professor McGonagall to give you a tour of the castle and grounds, and then you will have the rest of the afternoon to get unpacked and settled in. Dinner will be served in the Great Hall at 6, and we will have our first staff meeting immediately afterwards. Adrianna, will you kindly wait here for Professor McGonagall? Oliver, I trust that you remember where to find Madam Hooch's office. There is a tapestry hanging on one of the walls with a door behind it. That is the entrance to your living quarters. I believe I have the key here somewhere... ah yes, here it is. Now off you go. I will see you at dinner, I've just received an owl from Fudge and it seems he's got himself in a bind and needs a bit of advice. Again." And Dumbledore turned and left.
"Well, I'll see you at dinner. Enjoy your tour!" said Oliver and headed up the stairs to find his new quarters.
Oliver easily found what had been Madam Hooch's office. He tried the key, but it wouldn't work in the lock so he ended up using "alohamora" to unlock the door. He made a mental note to himself to ask Dumbledore about the key in the staff meeting. He then crossed the room and pulled back the tapestry, revealing the door to his rooms. He tried the key, and this time it worked.
He opened the door and looked around him in amazement. He had been expecting just a couple of small rooms. While there were only a few rooms, they were anything but small. The room that he walked into was a rather large living room. There was a burgundy area rug on the stone floor, and a plaid sofa sat in front of the fireplace. There were two plaid armchairs that matched the sofa and sat on either side of it. There was a rectangular coffee table in the middle of the rug. On one side of the room there was a huge window that looked out onto the lake. Oliver sat Lighting's cage on the coffee table and looked around some more.
Off of that room there were two doors. One led to the bedroom, which contained a beautifully carved, queen-sized four poster bed. It was covered in a bright red bedspread and had a matching red canopy and curtains around it. There was a carved bedside on either side of the bed, and a huge wardrobe to put his clothes in. Even the bathroom was extravagant. There was a white marble toilet and sink, and a sunken white marble jacuzzi tub that was the size of a small swimming pool.
Just then, there was a knock on his door. It was Hagrid with his trunk. "Where would ya like yer things, Oliver?"
"In the bedroom is fine. Thanks, Hagrid."
"Ain't a problem."
Oliver unpacked his clothes and hung them in the wardrobe. He carried his books into his adjoining office and put them on the shelf along the wall. The he let Lighting outside to stretch her wings for a while.
"Make sure that you're back by the time it gets dark," he told her sternly before opening the window.
After that he really had nothing to do until dinner, so he walked down to the lake. He saw there for a while and tickled the giant squid's tentacles every now and then. After a while he glanced at his watch.
"Ten to six already! I'll be late if I don't hurry, and what a great first impression that will make!"
He ran back up the steps and through the castle. Since he was running late, he decided to take one of the hidden staircases. He nearly got his leg trapped in the trick step that he forgot about, but managed to free himself and kept running. He slowed down as he approached the Great Hall so that he wouldn't be out of breath when he got there.
Dear Mr. Wood,
You are requested to report for new teacher orientation on Thursday, August 28th at noon. Please apparate to Hogsmeade and wait in front of the Three Broomsticks pub. Hagrid will meet you and bring you to the school in a carriage. As you know, it is not possible to apparate and disapparate on Hogwarts grounds. As our flying instructor, you will not need to bring extra materials with you other than your own broomstick, clothing and personal items. We look forward to your arrival here.
Sincerely,
Albus Dumbledore
Headmaster
Oliver spent the rest of that day and the next two days finishing up his packing and getting his house ready to leave. He got Lightning's cage out of the cupboard and put it with his trunk. Here he let her be outside most of the time, but he would need somewhere for her to stay at school. He didn't really want her to stay outside at Hogwarts with the dark forest being so close.
Thursday arrived much faster than Oliver thought it would. He got up around 9:00 and got dressed, then checked his house to make sure that everything was in order for him to leave. He leaned out the window and called for Lightning to come in so that he could shut her in her cage. Around 11:00 he put on his traveling cloak, and then gathered his things together and apparated to the Three Broomsticks. He planned to get a bite to eat for brunch there before going outside to wait for Hagrid.
At the Three Broomsticks, Oliver got a butterbeer and pancakes, his favorite breakfast. He fed little bits of pancake to Lightning as he ate. There were a lot of people outside walking around. Since Hogsmeade was an all-wizarding town, the people could come and go as they pleased without worrying about whether any muggles were watching or not. Most of the people seemed to be going into either Zonko's joke shop or Honeyduke's sweet shop. Those had been his favorite stores to visit when he was a student at Hogwarts. He finished his breakfast at a quarter to twelve and lugged his heavy trunk back outside, being careful not to dump Lightning off of the top.
Oliver finally managed to get his trunk back outside and sat down on it to wait for Hagrid. He looked around and saw a girl to his right sitting on a trunk as well. She too had an owl. His Lightning was a white eagle owl with black spots, but hers was a tawny owl with a tan-colored face. She was wearing a light gray traveling cloak and wore her long, wavy, golden blonde hair down. He could see a set of royal blue robes peeking out from under her cloak.
She checked her watch and then began looking around again. She also seemed to be waiting for something, but while she was waiting she seemed to be drinking in her surroundings. This was probably her first time in Hogsmeade. Oliver wondered where she was from and who or what she was waiting for. Just then, he saw a carriage turn a bend in the road from Hogwarts and approach the town. He stood up so that he would be ready when Hagrid arrived. He looked over at the girl and noticed that she too had stood up and was gathering up her things.
Hagrid brought the carriage to a stop in front of the Three Broomsticks. He climbed down from the driver's seat and turned to Oliver.
"Hello Oliver!" he said in a booming voice. "It's good to see ya again!"
"It's great to see you too, Hagrid. I trust you've been taking good care yourself."
"Of course, of course." Hagrid then turned to the blonde-haired girl. "And you must be Adrianna Brighton," he said.
"Yes, I am. Hagrid, I presume?" she asked a little shyly. Oliver immediately noticed her American accent.
"That'd be me. It's nice to meet you, professor," he said.
"Nice to meet you too," she said, shaking his enormous hand.
"Well, I don't s'pose you two've met. This is Oliver Wood, and this is Prof. Brighton," said Hagrid, introducing them.
"Please, call me Adrianna. Professor sounds too formal," she said.
Oliver shook her hand and looked up at her. This was the first time he had really gotten a good look at her. He saw her pretty face with the deep denim blue eyes framed by her golden blonde hair and recognized her immediately. She was the American chaser who had scored against him in the semi-final match.
Hagrid opened the door to the carriage for Oliver and Adrianna. "You two can get in while I put yer stuff on top o' the carriage," he said. Oliver climbed in first, then turned around and offered his hand to Adrianna to help her up. She took his hand and climbed in, then sat down in the seat across from him. Hagrid handed their owls to them through the open door. "Didn't think ya'd want them bouncin aroun on top o' the carriage," he explained and shut the door.
"I know you. You're a chaser on the American quidditch team," Oliver blurted out.
"Yea, I seem to be recognized a bit more since we won the cup. I guess it's all part of my 15 minutes of fame. You look familiar though, too. I know you weren't on England's team. Must be Scottish. Keeper, aren't you?"
"Yes, I'm surprised you remember me. Is it safe to assume that you're teaching here this year?"
"Yea I'm teaching Muggle Studies. How about you?"
"Flying instructor and quidditch coach."
"Oh that's so exciting! I wish I could do that... of course, I'm happy with any position at Hogwarts. It's the best school of witchcraft and wizardry in the world. I loved my school in the US, but I wish I could have gone to Hogwarts. Did you go here?"
"Yes, it's terrific. I think you're going to like it here."
"What's your owl's name? Mine's Sunrise, or Sunny for short," said Adrianna.
"Mine's Lightning," said Oliver. "What kind of family are you from?"
"I'm muggle born. My mom and dad almost didn't let me go to a wizarding school. They said it was against our religion."
"Really? How did you convince them to let you go?"
"I told them that I could be a witch and still be a Christian. I told them that it was a once in a lifetime opportunity. And when that didn't work, I begged and pleaded and cried until they finally let me go."
Oliver laughed. "And what do they think about you teaching at a wizarding school?"
"They ummm... well I didn't exactly tell them. I just told them that I got a job offer from a private school in Scotland and that it would be a good thing for me to do right now. I went to a muggle college to become a teacher after I graduated from wizarding school, so they pretty much expected me to get a teaching job somewhere. I figured the further away, the better if I was going to teach at a wizarding school."
"Do they know that you play quidditch?"
"No. I forgot to mention that to them as well. What kind of family are you from?" she asked, changing the subject.
"I'm from a pure blood family. My parents were really excited for me when I got my Hogwarts letter."
Adrianna was about to say something else to him, but just then the carriage stopped and she closed her mouth and stood up. Hagrid opened the carriage door and helped them both step down, then handed their owls to them again.
"Go on inside, Professor Dumbledore'll be waitin' for ya. I'll bring yer things up in a few minutes."
Oliver and Adrianna walked up the gray stone stairs and entered the massive doors of the castle together.
Professor Dumbledore was waiting inside the double doors waiting to greet them.
"Hello, Adrianna and Oliver. Welcome to Hogwarts. Or, in Oliver's case, welcome back to Hogwarts!" he said, shaking hands with them. "Adrianna, I've arranged for Professor McGonagall to give you a tour of the castle and grounds, and then you will have the rest of the afternoon to get unpacked and settled in. Dinner will be served in the Great Hall at 6, and we will have our first staff meeting immediately afterwards. Adrianna, will you kindly wait here for Professor McGonagall? Oliver, I trust that you remember where to find Madam Hooch's office. There is a tapestry hanging on one of the walls with a door behind it. That is the entrance to your living quarters. I believe I have the key here somewhere... ah yes, here it is. Now off you go. I will see you at dinner, I've just received an owl from Fudge and it seems he's got himself in a bind and needs a bit of advice. Again." And Dumbledore turned and left.
"Well, I'll see you at dinner. Enjoy your tour!" said Oliver and headed up the stairs to find his new quarters.
Oliver easily found what had been Madam Hooch's office. He tried the key, but it wouldn't work in the lock so he ended up using "alohamora" to unlock the door. He made a mental note to himself to ask Dumbledore about the key in the staff meeting. He then crossed the room and pulled back the tapestry, revealing the door to his rooms. He tried the key, and this time it worked.
He opened the door and looked around him in amazement. He had been expecting just a couple of small rooms. While there were only a few rooms, they were anything but small. The room that he walked into was a rather large living room. There was a burgundy area rug on the stone floor, and a plaid sofa sat in front of the fireplace. There were two plaid armchairs that matched the sofa and sat on either side of it. There was a rectangular coffee table in the middle of the rug. On one side of the room there was a huge window that looked out onto the lake. Oliver sat Lighting's cage on the coffee table and looked around some more.
Off of that room there were two doors. One led to the bedroom, which contained a beautifully carved, queen-sized four poster bed. It was covered in a bright red bedspread and had a matching red canopy and curtains around it. There was a carved bedside on either side of the bed, and a huge wardrobe to put his clothes in. Even the bathroom was extravagant. There was a white marble toilet and sink, and a sunken white marble jacuzzi tub that was the size of a small swimming pool.
Just then, there was a knock on his door. It was Hagrid with his trunk. "Where would ya like yer things, Oliver?"
"In the bedroom is fine. Thanks, Hagrid."
"Ain't a problem."
Oliver unpacked his clothes and hung them in the wardrobe. He carried his books into his adjoining office and put them on the shelf along the wall. The he let Lighting outside to stretch her wings for a while.
"Make sure that you're back by the time it gets dark," he told her sternly before opening the window.
After that he really had nothing to do until dinner, so he walked down to the lake. He saw there for a while and tickled the giant squid's tentacles every now and then. After a while he glanced at his watch.
"Ten to six already! I'll be late if I don't hurry, and what a great first impression that will make!"
He ran back up the steps and through the castle. Since he was running late, he decided to take one of the hidden staircases. He nearly got his leg trapped in the trick step that he forgot about, but managed to free himself and kept running. He slowed down as he approached the Great Hall so that he wouldn't be out of breath when he got there.