Asteria Wandsworth - Headmistress
Joined: 9/6/02
Glittering blue eyes surveyed the students seated at long tables down the hall. Most of the chattering children were too absorbed in the excitement of seeing their friends after the holidays to pay much attention to the woman seated at the centre of the teacher's table, but she noted a few first years who eyed her curiously.
What they saw was a slim, striking woman. She had obviously once been handsome, even beautiful, with evidence of raven black still streaking through her silver tresses, but lines now creased her age-hollowed face. Sitting down, only her piercing blue eyes, set above well-defined cheek bones, could explain the way she seemed to draw eyes to her. Until she stood up.
Many eyes followed the rise of her regal form. Slender she had always been, now it was apparent that she added height, and a certain way of holding herself, to the features which struck those who saw her for the first time.
The woman held up a slender white hand and soon a hush fell over the hall. She smiled and, despite the aloofness of her appearance, it was genuinely warm. "Welcome to another year at Hogwarts." Her voice was clear, unaffected by her years, and carried easily to the end of the hall. "For those of you who are new to our school, I am your headmistress, Professor Wandsworth, and I welcome you most sincerely to our fold."
There was some clapping from enthusiastic first years and their older siblings and Professor Wandsworth smiled again. Those who had been at Hogwarts for a few years were aware that Asteria Wandsworth did not give her smiles away cheaply. The overwhelming emotion the Headmistress inspired in those around her was respect. She was firm and fair and everyone knew she was a very knowledgable witch. Seven years in Ravenclaw House hadn't been enough for her. She had followed up her Hogwarts studies by travelling overseas to study dragons in Romania, Merpeople in the Pacific, Vampires in Transylvania, Quadpot in America and even completed studies at the Muggle educational institution known as Oxford.
Asteria had eventually returned to Hogwarts as the Professor of Transfiguration. Rumours abounded about Professor Wandsworth among the students. They said that when she was a student she had twice been caught taking solitary nighttime explorations of the Forbidden Forest, had made a habit of visiting the Restricted Section of the Library and had even been suspended from classes for secretly harbouring some mysterious creature for "study purposes".
Asteria, sharply observant by nature, was well aware of the stories that had leaked out about her stubborn youth. As she was still a strong-minded person, she did not allow herself to be embarassed and instead kept to her task of teaching the students of Hogwarts both inside and outside the classroom. Soon the stories about her past were forgotten as she instilled students with a respect for her personality and enthusiasm for her teaching. Her experience was broad and she was not one to rely on text books over practical learning. Her anger, though hard to rouse, was chilling and severe. Those at Hogwarts gradually discovered, however, that behind the cool, unreadable facade Asteria Wandsworth had an unexpected sense of humour, occasionally revealed, and a desire to help anyone who needed it, regardless of whether they liked her idea of what they needed.
The fine blue eyes rested patiently on the first years until their enthusiasm waned. An interesting group had graduated from Hogwarts the previous year. She hoped that the new students would prove to be as interesting. Life would certainly be dull if her students never surprised her.
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