The start of school had always been a time of excitement and possibility as a girl and now as an adult things weren’t all that different; except now there were two beginnings to the year, the arrival of new and returning staff as well as the arrival of the students. Mackenzie wasn’t exactly a seasoned veteran as a professor, but with one year under her belt she wasn’t a complete neophyte. One year of experience didn’t mean much in the grand scheme of things; at least she didn’t have to deal with the stress of settling into completely new spaces. Her classroom, office, and personal quarters all still seemed to be in the same state she left them when summer began.

Returning to Hogwarts always seemed to bring Mackenzie to a happy place. She had the luxury of not needing to be here, but wanting to be here. Those who knew the young witch had at first seemed confused by her decision to join the staff. It certainly wasn’t for the money. As the owner of a successful alchemy business in Diagon Alley, she could make her teaching salary with a fraction of the time investment. No, this was a personal endeavor, the motives for which would surely make little sense to others and even serve as an indictment of the unsavory ambitions she occasionally allowed her potion talents to abet. This was her anchor, a reckoning to both mind and soul to balance out the dark deeds she brewed, bottled, and stoppered for profit. This was her secret or at least one of those truths that the werewolf guarded with her life.

The aroma of hot earl grey tea wafted from the porcelain cup she cradled in her small hands. Where most might simply recognize the aroma, Mackenzie’s canine sense of smell dissected it into its parts – black tea leaves, bergamont orange rind, a shave of cinnamon spice, cane sugar, and milk. Warmth filled her sinuses and eased contemplations of complications from her mind. Sip by sip the warmth flowed through her small frame and relaxed the woman, prompting her to pull her knees to her chest and nuzzle back into the upholstered chair.

Icy blue eyes drifted toward the fire at the far aside of the room, studying the way the flames danced in unison with the crackles and pop it emitted, but it wasn’t long before another set of sounds joined the chorus – footsteps. Mackenzie’s head tilted curiously and her attention moved to the entranceway, her agile mind wondering what new arrival would be joining her. Luckily the house elves had included a few cups on the silver tray that lay on the table before her, perhaps the visitor would enjoy some tea to soothe away the weariness of travel.