Houses Competition, Gryffindor, Round 6, Year 2.
[Character] Professor Cuthbert Binns (Living days, not ghost days)
Word count: 280
Betas: CK and Tigger
"There are only two things that are certain," Professor Binns stated with his back towards his class of first years. "History and death."
He smiled as he heard a few gasps and knew that that gotten their attention.
"If you don't pay attention to history," he paused again to turn and look at them. All of his students were staring at him with different expressions. "Death is more likely than life."
Every single one of his students were looking at him, eyes open, giving him their full attention. That would teach them for being disrespectful. He didn't mind them falling asleep, or muttering away to each other during his class, but to say he was droning on and was like a talking ghost was uncalled for. Who in their right mind would continue to teach beyond the grave? Unless it was teaching that killed them and they wanted to take revenge on every child - he could understand that - they were rather ungrateful.
"Class dismissed."
The first years slowly filtered out, their mutterings becoming animated as they walked out.
He sat down at his desk and looked at the pile of homework which had been submitted. Binns thought back to the days he used to be energetic with teaching, trying new things, being interactive… but as the years went past, and students' faces merged into one, he found little point. Most students didn't like his classes, even when he did put hours of planning into it, so he slowly did less planning. He knew all of the world's magical history, the muggle history too! He could give a lecture in his sleep… or as the ungrateful students stated… as a ghost.