Chapter Eight
January 10th, 1945
Minerva was reading a few pages ahead in her History of Magic textbook, having prepared for class sufficiently over the holidays, when she heard an audible gasp from Trudy Weasley in the desk front of her. Their elderly professor had been running a few minutes late, the class had imagined, giving the group of Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors time to chat or catch up on their other lessons. Minerva marked her place and glanced up to see that was the matter with Trudy.
Miss Weasley's eyes were as wide as saucers, and she was not alone. Most of the class were staring at their professor with expressions that ranged from confusion to horror to simple disbelief. He had, though Minerva had missed the occurrence, floated into the classroom through the blackboard at the front of the room. Professor Binns was currently drifting about a foot above the ground and was preparing to lecture as usual, oblivious to the very disturbed students who were watching him with far greater attention and interest than he had ever managed to command while still alive.
"He's a ghost!" Daniel hissed quietly to Trudy and Minerva.
"Should someone be told?" questioned Miss Weasley.
"Most definitely." said Minerva in a low voice, looking at Daniel, who was a prefect.
"Most of the other professors will be in class. Who should we tell?" he questioned.
"We? What's this about we?" whispered Minerva.
"You're good at these things!" he said, leaving his seat and tugging at her elbow.
They both glanced at ghostly Professor Binns, who was droning on about the Goblin Revolts in complete incognizance of his physical state or the lack thereof, and slipped quietly out of the classroom.
"I'll go to the faculty lounge. Surely one of the professors will be there." said Minerva when they walked into the hallway.
Daniel glanced back into the classroom and said, "Good thinking, Minerva. I'll go check Professor Flitwick's office and if he isn't there ..."
"Go look for Professor Dumbledore." she recommended before hurrying down the hall.
Minerva shook her head as she walked. Professor Binns was old, older than Headmaster Dippet or any of the other professors. He was no one's favorite teacher to be sure. The man could bore even the most academically and historically minded students nearly to death. But he had been kindly in his own peculiar way. Now he was a ghost.
The door to the teacher's lounge was open, but she knocked nevertheless as she leaned inside.
"Come in." called Professor Dumbledore.
Minerva stepped hesitantly into the lounge.
"You would think that he would have had the decency to wait to the end of the term or perhaps before the holidays." said a slightly strained and annoyed voice that belonged to Professor Krohn, who had just managed to resume his teaching duties.
"You mustn't begrudge a man his last Christmas." admonished Dumbledore.
"And why not? It's a damned inconvenience." snarled Krohn.
"Language, Reynard! There is a lady present." said the transfigurations' professor, looking over his glasses at Krohn and nodding toward Minerva, who lingered in the doorway.
The two professors were standing on either side of an armchair, and she had the strangest feeling that they were talking about Professor Binns, that they knew he was dead somehow. Krohn looked over his shoulder at Minerva with a sour expression.
"What can we do for you, my dear?" questioned Dumbledore.
"Professor Binns ..."
"Ah, yes, you have his class this period, don't you? I'm afraid he won't be showing up today, Minerva." he said, glancing at the chair.
She was suddenly aware that someone was sitting in it.
"There's no use skating around the issue. Just tell her that he's dead." said Krohn, gesturing for her to take a look.
"I know he's dead, professor." she told him, glimpsing one of her history professor's hands dangling over the arm of the chair.
"Oh, really?" questioned Krohn.
"His ghost is teaching my history class." she explained.
Dumbledore raised his eyebrows and said, "You don't say, Minerva? That is a spot of luck. It looks as though Dippet won't need to find a new instructor after all."
"We still must take the body to the hospital wing, at least until arrangements can be made." said Krohn impatiently, pursing his lips as he drew his wand. "I can do it, if you wish, Albus." he added.
"Thank you, Reynard, that would be most appreciated. I think I shall look in on his class and return Miss McGonagall to it." said Professor Dumbledore, stepping away from the chair and ushering her out of the staff room.
Minerva could hear Krohn cast Mobilicorpus from the hallway as they began walking back to the classrooms. She glanced over her shoulder and frowned in surprise as Professor Krohn and the corpse of Binns as they left the lounge. Krohn was holding his wand in one hand, bearing the lifeless shell of the professor aloft, but his other hand rested carefully at the small of his dead colleague's back. Minerva paused and watched until they disappeared down a set of stairs at the end of the corridor.
"Those two are ... were cut from the same cloth in many ways." commented Dumbledore, noticing the questioning look on Minerva's face. "They both saw the trees, not the forest, valuing details over larger matters. Possibly it was because of their work. Krohn with his carefully measured ingredients and Binns with his obscure names and dates. I believe that Reynard saw something of a grandfather in the old professor. Ghost or not, Reynard will miss that relationship after a fashion, though they did not always see eye to eye." he explained as they continued walking.
"And you? How do you feel?"
"I was concerned at first, but then, I remembered that to the well-organized mind ..."
"Death is but the next great adventure." she said in unison with him, chucking as she recognized one of Dumbledore's favorite sayings. "In what way did the professors disagree?" Minerva questioned after a pause.
"Binns, a very learned student and a master of history both wizarding and muggle, was much in favor of involving ourselves in the war against Grindelwald. The danger was more apparent to him that to Reynard. I hope that the headmaster still listens to his ghost or I may not be permitted to go to France again. Binns was and still is, I imagine, my greatest advocate." said Dumbledore with a soft chuckle as they reached the classroom.
He peered inside and looked very much relieved and gratified to see the ghost of Professor Binns still teaching.
"When will you be making your next trip?" she questioned quietly.
"Soon." he said. "Ask me about it later this week, Minerva. Right now, you should return to your lessons."
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A/N: Should I have included a character death warning? Binns was already dead in the books, so .... hmmm.
Child-of-the-Dawn: It wasn't too bad. Luckily, the apartment slopes, so the water the didn't my computer. All potions' masters are unfailingly mean. *chortles* Well, if Krohn had been a DADA teacher, he couldn't very well be this cowardly (or bitter). It's also kind of a plot thing. I think most people write mean and sometimes even evil potions' masters/mistresses. It's a great cliche. Thanks for reviewing!
Freelancer: I like your version of Grindelwald so much better *sniffs*. Thank you very much for the review!
Michelle: Yeah, water, water, everywhere. I think there are definitely some similarities between Snape and Krohn (but then Krohn would have been his head of house - I mentioned that in other stories). Perhaps Krohn is a little colder, more aloof. I haven't a clue really. Thank you for reviewing!
January 10th, 1945
Minerva was reading a few pages ahead in her History of Magic textbook, having prepared for class sufficiently over the holidays, when she heard an audible gasp from Trudy Weasley in the desk front of her. Their elderly professor had been running a few minutes late, the class had imagined, giving the group of Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors time to chat or catch up on their other lessons. Minerva marked her place and glanced up to see that was the matter with Trudy.
Miss Weasley's eyes were as wide as saucers, and she was not alone. Most of the class were staring at their professor with expressions that ranged from confusion to horror to simple disbelief. He had, though Minerva had missed the occurrence, floated into the classroom through the blackboard at the front of the room. Professor Binns was currently drifting about a foot above the ground and was preparing to lecture as usual, oblivious to the very disturbed students who were watching him with far greater attention and interest than he had ever managed to command while still alive.
"He's a ghost!" Daniel hissed quietly to Trudy and Minerva.
"Should someone be told?" questioned Miss Weasley.
"Most definitely." said Minerva in a low voice, looking at Daniel, who was a prefect.
"Most of the other professors will be in class. Who should we tell?" he questioned.
"We? What's this about we?" whispered Minerva.
"You're good at these things!" he said, leaving his seat and tugging at her elbow.
They both glanced at ghostly Professor Binns, who was droning on about the Goblin Revolts in complete incognizance of his physical state or the lack thereof, and slipped quietly out of the classroom.
"I'll go to the faculty lounge. Surely one of the professors will be there." said Minerva when they walked into the hallway.
Daniel glanced back into the classroom and said, "Good thinking, Minerva. I'll go check Professor Flitwick's office and if he isn't there ..."
"Go look for Professor Dumbledore." she recommended before hurrying down the hall.
Minerva shook her head as she walked. Professor Binns was old, older than Headmaster Dippet or any of the other professors. He was no one's favorite teacher to be sure. The man could bore even the most academically and historically minded students nearly to death. But he had been kindly in his own peculiar way. Now he was a ghost.
The door to the teacher's lounge was open, but she knocked nevertheless as she leaned inside.
"Come in." called Professor Dumbledore.
Minerva stepped hesitantly into the lounge.
"You would think that he would have had the decency to wait to the end of the term or perhaps before the holidays." said a slightly strained and annoyed voice that belonged to Professor Krohn, who had just managed to resume his teaching duties.
"You mustn't begrudge a man his last Christmas." admonished Dumbledore.
"And why not? It's a damned inconvenience." snarled Krohn.
"Language, Reynard! There is a lady present." said the transfigurations' professor, looking over his glasses at Krohn and nodding toward Minerva, who lingered in the doorway.
The two professors were standing on either side of an armchair, and she had the strangest feeling that they were talking about Professor Binns, that they knew he was dead somehow. Krohn looked over his shoulder at Minerva with a sour expression.
"What can we do for you, my dear?" questioned Dumbledore.
"Professor Binns ..."
"Ah, yes, you have his class this period, don't you? I'm afraid he won't be showing up today, Minerva." he said, glancing at the chair.
She was suddenly aware that someone was sitting in it.
"There's no use skating around the issue. Just tell her that he's dead." said Krohn, gesturing for her to take a look.
"I know he's dead, professor." she told him, glimpsing one of her history professor's hands dangling over the arm of the chair.
"Oh, really?" questioned Krohn.
"His ghost is teaching my history class." she explained.
Dumbledore raised his eyebrows and said, "You don't say, Minerva? That is a spot of luck. It looks as though Dippet won't need to find a new instructor after all."
"We still must take the body to the hospital wing, at least until arrangements can be made." said Krohn impatiently, pursing his lips as he drew his wand. "I can do it, if you wish, Albus." he added.
"Thank you, Reynard, that would be most appreciated. I think I shall look in on his class and return Miss McGonagall to it." said Professor Dumbledore, stepping away from the chair and ushering her out of the staff room.
Minerva could hear Krohn cast Mobilicorpus from the hallway as they began walking back to the classrooms. She glanced over her shoulder and frowned in surprise as Professor Krohn and the corpse of Binns as they left the lounge. Krohn was holding his wand in one hand, bearing the lifeless shell of the professor aloft, but his other hand rested carefully at the small of his dead colleague's back. Minerva paused and watched until they disappeared down a set of stairs at the end of the corridor.
"Those two are ... were cut from the same cloth in many ways." commented Dumbledore, noticing the questioning look on Minerva's face. "They both saw the trees, not the forest, valuing details over larger matters. Possibly it was because of their work. Krohn with his carefully measured ingredients and Binns with his obscure names and dates. I believe that Reynard saw something of a grandfather in the old professor. Ghost or not, Reynard will miss that relationship after a fashion, though they did not always see eye to eye." he explained as they continued walking.
"And you? How do you feel?"
"I was concerned at first, but then, I remembered that to the well-organized mind ..."
"Death is but the next great adventure." she said in unison with him, chucking as she recognized one of Dumbledore's favorite sayings. "In what way did the professors disagree?" Minerva questioned after a pause.
"Binns, a very learned student and a master of history both wizarding and muggle, was much in favor of involving ourselves in the war against Grindelwald. The danger was more apparent to him that to Reynard. I hope that the headmaster still listens to his ghost or I may not be permitted to go to France again. Binns was and still is, I imagine, my greatest advocate." said Dumbledore with a soft chuckle as they reached the classroom.
He peered inside and looked very much relieved and gratified to see the ghost of Professor Binns still teaching.
"When will you be making your next trip?" she questioned quietly.
"Soon." he said. "Ask me about it later this week, Minerva. Right now, you should return to your lessons."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A/N: Should I have included a character death warning? Binns was already dead in the books, so .... hmmm.
Child-of-the-Dawn: It wasn't too bad. Luckily, the apartment slopes, so the water the didn't my computer. All potions' masters are unfailingly mean. *chortles* Well, if Krohn had been a DADA teacher, he couldn't very well be this cowardly (or bitter). It's also kind of a plot thing. I think most people write mean and sometimes even evil potions' masters/mistresses. It's a great cliche. Thanks for reviewing!
Freelancer: I like your version of Grindelwald so much better *sniffs*. Thank you very much for the review!
Michelle: Yeah, water, water, everywhere. I think there are definitely some similarities between Snape and Krohn (but then Krohn would have been his head of house - I mentioned that in other stories). Perhaps Krohn is a little colder, more aloof. I haven't a clue really. Thank you for reviewing!
