Tiernan Mortimer yawned as he woke early that morning. He wasn’t a morning person. In fact he hated mornings, mostly because they tended to involve more sunshine then he particularly cared for. Being more of a night owl then anything else. He rose. Grumbling about having things to do that forced him up at the break of dawn. One month before class started, he would need to return to the castle to insure that all was ready for his class. He would also need the time to check over their basic potions in the Hospital Wings to see what needed to be brewed up before students arrived. A month was more then enough time for all that.<br/><br/>It took him a while to get going, but when he was finally ready to get off to the Castle and leave the estate where his elderly mother resided. Tiernan had always felt it necessary to return home to the estate during the summer and be with his mother. She had no one else to look after her except the house elves, who did an excellent job, but he still felt the weight of the responsibility. Seeings as his brother didn’t live at home any longer. He owned a flat down in London. Something that repulsed Tiernan. He scowled at those thoughts. Trying to figure out why his brother would desire to reside there rather then remaining at the estate. It wasn’t like the house was small. It would be easy to reside in the house and never see each other more then once within a few days if that. It was a choice that Eliarah had made that confused and infuriated Tiernan.<br/><br/>Tiernan was a professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and he was proud of this fact. He was a Potions Professor and it was truly something he was both good at and enjoyed deeply. The spare hours he had were either spent tending to the sick in the Hospital Wing as an aid to the full time resident healer there or spent his time gathering the ingredients, making potions, antidotes and various other alchemical things that stuck his fancy. It was on that note that he finally arrived downstairs after having showered and dressed to grab breakfast. The kitchen as always was empty and he realized just how lonely his life really was. He had no one he could spend time with. This as it always did made him think of the one true friend he’d ever known Nice. A girl he’d befriended in school and who he kept in contact with and spent time with over the course of the school year. Though their contact was always limited to non-existent during the summer. She was married. Something that although it didn’t please Tiernan he could accept.<br/><br/>That was his thoughts anyways. It was always how he tried to think. It was a lie. He’d fallen for her in school, but as their paths had diverged he’d lost contact with her. Until recently when their paths had crossed once more at Hogwarts. It brought a smile to his lips, every time he thought of how lucky he was to have her back in his life. The true reasons for his isolation and distance from others was one he kept to himself and didn’t even share with his brother. He regarded his reflection in the hall mirror with an almost angry dark expression clouding his features. He was a splitting image of his father and he hated that. Glaring at the reflection in the glass he moved away. He couldn’t to think of the father who wasn’t a part of his life because he had risked it all for a set a beliefs that were as misguided as his dedication to them rather then his family. Something Tiernan would never do. He would never put his ideals over his family. It was why he had so little of them.<br/><br/>He grabbed an apple and quickly left the kitchen annoyance and anger making his steps quick and purposeful. He went back up to his rooms and began sorting through what he would need and came to the bitter conclusion that a trip to Diagon Alley would be required before he could go to the castle and begin his preparations for term. Sighing he packed up his luggage. Once it was all ready he headed to the fireplace in his room, grabbed a jar of Floo Powder from the mantle he grabbed a handful and reset the jar in it’s place. Satisfied that it was still relatively full. He threw the powder into the fire and stepped in saying<span style="color: #80FF80">”Diagon Alley”</span>clearly and calmly. He closed his eyes. He didn’t like watching the trip. It didn’t take long before he stepped out of the fireplace and dusted the ash off his black robes. With a quick shake of his head to dislodge any soot from there he headed out to find the apothecaries that would carry what he needed.<br/><br/>Just as he was about to enter the apothecary he spotted a familiar female form. Nice. He turned in her direction intent on going to greet her in person, maybe offer to buy her lunch. Talk for a few hours. Until he saw the wolf race up to her. His gaze drawn away from Nice he saw a male headed towards her. She was meeting someone, he realized with disappointment. He watched as the male reached her and he realized, he recognized him. His eyes narrowed as he watched the man interacting with Nice.<br/><br/>When Alex and Nice hugged Tiernan felt the all to familiar rush of blood through his veins. Anger mounting as he came to a dark and ugly realization in that instant contact. He was jealous. And with those thoughts came the realization that he still had feelings for her, very strong feelings. He ground his teeth and resisted the urge to draw his want and curse Alex for touching Nice. It was evident Nice had feelings for Alex when she hugged him. And that made Tiernan even angrier. It wasn’t until he saw her hand close over his that he truly knew the depth of that rage. Eye narrowed and jaw clenched to keep from doing something stupid he pressed his hand firmly against the cane he used as an accessory. The crystal tip bitting into his palm. The smooth firm grip of the wood that hid his wand. What really drove him mental was the kiss and as they began talking he moved without even realizing he’d taken a few steps.<br/><br/>He stopped moving right before the two of them. He didn’t look at Alex as he met Nice’s gaze.<span style="color: #80FF80">”I didn’t know you were coming today, otherwise I’d have arranged to meet for lunch,”</span>Tiernan said in greeting to Nice. His words held an edge to them, but otherwise he didn’t show outwardly the anger that begged him to draw Alex’s blood.