Hello hello!
Not sure if I will have the time to write this in time to upload today, but I will sure try :)
Onwards! Chapter 32.
***
Nikos secured his Greek school of magic uniform's deep shingle-red waist-length cape on, fastening the clasp under his left collarbone- sign back home that he was a teacher, a graduate, and not a student. He assembled his papers for the class thoughtfully. Teaching students in the UK had not been part of his plan. Nor causing mayhem in a school. Or being distanced from his only family left by a few careless words. So many things had not gone according to plan, and yet somehow the situation was not desperate. Worse than before, but not desperate. Slytherin's portrait had said that the Key of Wind was hidden in Hogwarts, unlike the theories of everyone who was aware of the Keys' existence. Several Pythagoreans had searched the castle, with or without permission of its Head, and Nikos knew that several Isis cultists had as well- nobody had found the Key, and everyone had decided Slytherin had chosen another hiding spot.
Of course, the portrait could not tell them anything further, seeing as somehow this little bit of knowledge from the actual Salazar Slytherin was not transferred to the portrait.
Nikos sighed, wondering why it couldn't be as easy as just asking to be told for a change, and how it was possible for the portrait not to be imbued with this information, while it did retain every other relevant memory. He would try to find out why. In any case, he was in Hogwarts, part of the staff, and as such allowed- officially and unofficially- to go anywhere in the castle to look for what he wanted.
He straightened up, shaking himself from the thoughtful reticense. He could have actually planned it that way, it was that perfect from the vantage point of strategy. Nikos combed his fingers through his dark flyaway hair, trademark of the Galanos line.
"Well then, let's follow your path," he said to nobody in particular and about turned, walking out the door.
It was Defense against the Dark Arts, fifth years Gryffindors and Slytherins. Do these people fuel rivalries on purpose? It would have been Rasmus' class if Professor Bai had not admitted his godson in the advanced one- that would be tomorrow. Nikos breathed in and shook himself out of this incongruent nervousness. He was an experienced teacher already.
He entered the large class where the students were sitting in desks, murmuring among themselves. Like most of the senior classes, they weren't very numerous- a total of twenty students only, give or take. They all stopped as soon as he entered and marched assertively to the head of the class.
"Hello, class," he said in a loud voice. "I am Professor Nikos Galanos. I am here to help you complete your schooling despite the passing of your excellent Professor Bai," he began. Immediately, one hand shot up, of a strawberry blonde girl with Gryffindor colours. He tilted his head, and the girl took that as permission to speak.
"They say you are here because You Know Who is back. That Professor Bai was killed by him, and there was a fierce battle during curfew- and that you brought it all here in Hogwarts."
Oh, dear.
"And what's your name, miss?" he asked with a rather mirthless smile. The girl looked uncomfortable but answered nonetheless.
"Millie Blathbride, sir."
"I take it, Millie, that you speak the concerns of the entire student body, so in order to have you concentrate on what I have to teach you, I'll help you get these concerns out of the way now." Nikos glanced around the class. Everyone was looking at him with curiosity, but there was also fear and suspicion there.
"You Know Who is not back. Yes, there was a very fierce fight after curfew that did cost the life of your professor but it was not a battle. I am here because the dark wizards who tried to storm your school are wizards I fight." Nikos kept the passing of Poppy out of the list of casualties. To remind already frightened students of a second kill would not help just then.
"But it's not You Know Who? Just dark wizards?" Another boy in Gryffindor asked. The Slytherin part of the classroom was as yet silent.
"Yes," Nikos smiled, savouring the irony. "Just dark wizards. And I am here to teach you how to defend yourselves from them, exactly like Professor Bai was doing. So- let's get to it," he clapped his hands and the desks suddenly began shrinking. All the students jumped around with due exclamations and noises to avoid falling on their rumps on the floor.
Nikos watched them all for reflexes, then as soon as everyone was looking at him again with considerable more annoyance, he grinned innocently at the class, beginning to forget himself in one of the things he loved to do.
"Rarely will you ever find yourself needing to defend yourself sitting down primly at a desk," he said, arms folded in front of his chest. "And so, in my class there will rarely be any chance to sit down. Now, I suppose you all know I come from Greece, right?"
Several responses in the affirmative ensued. Nikos nodded as well.
"Yes, well, Greece is a rather small country with relatively few people in it. Unfortunately, or fortunately- depending on your point of view- we also happen to be inhabiting a peninsula that everyone has wanted since time immemorial. And so we really had to learn how to defend ourselves against enemies that customarily outnumber us."
"Unlike the barbarians, we don't count the enemy numbers," spoke up a Slytherin boy for the first time.
"Quite right," Nikos encouraged. "Five points to Slytherin thanks to you, sir, for quoting old Aeschylus." The boy smirked at the Gryffindor standing next to him at that.
"That sounds rather idiotic to me, though," sneered another Slytherin, girl this time. "It spells certain suicide."
"Yes, it does, if you don't learn how to do it. So, my lads and ladies," Nikos took the bait to further advance his introduction to the logic of his class, "what you will be learning with me is how to have the luxury of going up against more, and being the one most likely to win- what Greeks have done best over the ages, inventing food delicacies aside."
The prospect along with the joke brought cheer to the Gryffindors and a gleam in the Slytherins that Nikos knew reflected thirsty interest. He pulled out his wand, and started signing his customary sigils while he talked:
"What I am doing now is going to help us learn and practice in real circumstances. However, lads and ladies, I shall not explain what sort of magic I am casting right now until you are ready to learn it." In ten years, maybe.
From Nikos' wand the sigils glistened as if made of stardust, then seemed to explode like small fireworks and spread around the class and over every student until they seemed to fade. This happened three times with three different sigils, which started some of the boys fidgeting impatiently again. But then Nikos grinned.
"And now we are ready. While you are in this classroom, any offensive spell you cast will be altered to impact upon the target the desired effect only on the surface- that means you get to feel all the pain, but you don't get hurt. That will teach you to respect magic, but also go all out with the things I will be teaching you."
"What if someone casts the Avada Kedavra?" asked a Gryffindor, glancing at some of the Slytherins suspiciously. Nikos grinned.
"Then you pass out and have to be carried out of the classroom to be able to come to again."
"Wicked," murmured someone from one of the rows behind.
"Not yet," Nikos' smile now became belligerent, his eyes twinkling dangerously. "I don't know your strengths and weaknesses as fighters at all yet, and you don't know what I have in mind for you to be by the end of term, so why don't we all get acquainted by having a nice spar: Class vs. Teacher."
"You want all of us… to attack you, professor?" one of the Gryffindor girls seemed appalled at the idea. Nikos nodded.
"All at once?"
"Otherwise it would be just me showing off," he winked in challenge, then raised his wand. "Well, class? Landing a spell on me earns two points for your House. Land something significantly debilitating, and it earns you five. And to make it fair, I will only deduct points if I knock one of you out. Begin!"
***
Finn groaned, seeing Rasmus at the Slytherin breakfast table with the same pile of books he had pulled the youth the day before yesterday. Rasmus had gone right back to studying after that unexpected scene Saturday afternoon, and throughout Sunday with magic wards that prevented every classmate from approaching enough to interrupt him. He hadn't even bothered to follow the eruption of gossip that had ensued after Saturday afternoon, or any plans made by Slytherins to have Snape's son dance before an audience. It was the first time Finn was any sort of attention centre, because everyone kept asking him details, hoping that he actually knew more than them. Finn did not, of course, but he had made good on what he had anyway.
But without Rasmus himself fuelling the grapevine, it was not as fun as it could be- though Finn had heard many variations and interpretation of what it meant that Snape's son had danced at all, let alone well enough to strike anyone dumb.
Like the anticlimactic persona Rasmus seemed to nurture demanded, he acted as if nothing had taken place with Adeline Gaunt and he had done nothing out of the ordinary. Finn rolled his eyes as he approached, watching Rasmus writing furiously again, noting things in Greek in a muggle looking notebook- Finn was certain Rasmus was doing that so that nobody would be able to read it.
"Man, what are you doing?" he whined as he plopped down next to him. "You could have every girl in Slytherin after yesterday, and you go right back to studying?"
"Don't be an idiot," snorted Rasmus. "Dancing is not for cheap thrills."
"Cheap thr- I don't believe you! If you don't dance for all the girl-tapping that can get you, then why bother?"
"First off, it's very easy for a trick to grow old, and just bursting into dance to impress a girl will make anyone look like a baboon seeking to attract a mate," snorted Rasmus and then shrugged. "I just didn't trust myself to pick a fight with Gaunt yesterday, and that was the easiest way to shut her up in a different manner and long enough to just clear out."
Finn's shoulders slouched in disappointment.
"Now everyone will truly believe the Slytherin quidditch team was hallucinating," he murmured. Rasmus grinned impishly.
"Well then, strike two," he said, closing one book to switch it for another, stealing a bite of toast in between.
"So what have you been studying, anyway? None of these books are for homework I'll bet, or somehow mysteriously blood magic has become part of the curriculum."
"It's something I need to talk about with my godfather," Rasmus said. "I did promise to talk to him when I am ready."
"And are you?" Finn tilted his head. Though he had seen Osiris, Finn could not bring himself to tell Rasmus that he had been there or tried to do anything. Finn could not really handle interaction that spilled beyond the mundane or the frivolous, and he had no way to predict how young Snape would react upon learning this particular little detail. If Finn had been certain it would yield information Rasmus was not giving with, then he'd venture it. But what if it alienated him? Finn could not have that for several reasons.
Rasmus shrugged again non-commitally, shrinking the pile of books to fit them in his book bag, and shutting the notebook closed.
"I think so," he said, grabbing a muffin as he left. Somehow, Finn felt too thoughtful and not buoyant enough to follow and be his usual self.
***
And that's that! I hope you like it. Tomorrow we see what Harry has been doing, and with whom. (Not that.) Among some other things.
Duj: Rasmus is imbued with Greek culture/outlook. That means that he can find it in him to shift his mood without actually feeling any better. :p
Sindie: Thank you very much! Yes, even storms have an eye of calm somewhere, don't they? Did anyone see that coming? He tapdances his way to his test rooms in the beginning chapters. But he also uses dancing in ways we will see later.
Zoe Bright: Well, what do you think of Nikos as a teacher from this little intro of his? He is a sucker for teaching, he actually loves doing it. I bet Salazar is amused. :D And yes, a shot of whiskey or brandy will do that trick! I can attest to that as well. And yes, Snape's kid is a ballroom, folk and modern dancer. He actually is serious about dance and is planning to enroll into a muggle dance college when he graduates. Which used to scandalize his dad when he got wind of it (more of that soon) :p As for quidditch and being a jock or any kind of star, Rasmus doesn't like it. He prefers to lurk and pounce. Hee hee!
Philomena: A side story for Guiren Bai? Hmmm… why not? Maybe I will. Thanks for reading!
Oh, I nearly forgot! I have a deviantart account now, and I made a meme that is about OCs, for Rasmus. If you want to go take a look and learn a bit more about him before you see it in the story, go here (minus spaces) :/ignus-r. deviantart. com/ art / Harry-Potter-OC-meme- 153055451
I think I'll start on some portraits next.