Professor Reilly wasn't what Harry had been expecting. The new DADA teacher looked younger than even Gilderoy Lockheart had, and was in possession of a thin, slight frame.
He shouldn't have been as intimidating as his classes found him to be.
His brown eyes were haunted, sharp and suspicious (Harry recognized the look as one that was often on his own face) and the man carried himself like a soldier. He wasn't like Moody, didn't conduct his classes with cries of 'Constant vigilance!', but there were certain similarities, however slight, between the two. For instance, Professor Reilly twitched every time someone got too close to him, and he had his own personal flask that he carried with him. (Harry very much doubted that it was Pollyjuice, unless there had started making the potion whiskey scented.)
The first day of classes, the Gryffindors had walked in, to see the new professor twirling between his fingers, not a wand, but a knife.
He glanced up when they walked in. "Everyone here?" he asked, once they were seated. "Alright. Let's get right to the point." He thunked the dagger down on the desk, point first, making the children in the rows closest to him flinch. "My name is Professor Reilly. There are things that go 'bump' in the night. They will probably kill you. Any questions?" Ignoring the raised hands of his shocked class, O'Riley stood. "Class dismissed."
Professor Reilly may not have been what Harry had been expecting, but, in the immortal words of one Kingsley Shacklebolt, "You've got to admit, he's got style."
Well, here's the next chapter, I hope everyone likes it. I have something like eight new chapters all typed, but I want some feedback before I post them.
Name suggestions for the titles are appreciated, as are reviews.