(Staff Room) Ghost From the Past

[Prof. Hansel Hanzel]

Hansel's book slipped off his knee and landed on the floorboards with a sharp crack, rousing him once more from his exhausted sleep. For nearly an hour he had been draped like a limp cloak in a cowpat green armchair at one end of the staffroom, boots resting in front of the roaring fireplace while his aching feet soaked in a deep basin of boiling hot water. It was nearly midnight and Hansel had reached the gates of Hogwarts several hours ago, one small suitcase and one massive, heavily locked trunk hovering at his side. To his dismay the school looked exactly as it had all those years ago when he had been a student, the same cold, glassless windows and the familiar echo of boys’ shouts drifting through the corridors. Those sounds were dead now as he sat, for the first time, in the only room in Hogwarts he had never been able to enter, and a slow sense of disappointment crept over him, asking him why he was back in this wretched place after so many years of better things. You know why, his voice whispered in his ear, Hansel’s tired eyes growing wide. Because you’ve ruined everything else.

Water sloshed out of the basin as Hansel stood up, mind wavering with the sudden rush of moving after sitting down for so long. A half-empty bottle of red wine sat on the windowsill and he stumbled over to it, resting the back of his head against the blistered glass as he took a long, dry mouthful. ‘Leave me alone!’ He shouted miserably, the firy shadows flickering across the room like ghosts from the past.

[Professor Daniel Hubbles]

Dan stomped his way down the staircase, his wand held aloft so the small beam of light that protruded from the top lit his way down the dark corridor of the castle. The Professor was heading back to the staff room. He had been rudely interrupted by a third year Ravenclaw banging on the door because they thought they could hear a wizard duel in the top towers of the castle. Alas when Dan eventually got to the supposed crime seen he was rather shocked to find a group of Ravenclaws waiting for him and promptly started to sing a rather rude song about him and their head of house.

So with the added bonus of spending detention with the musical lot the next night Dan defiantly needed a drink and he had a bottle of red wine sitting for him in the staff room. However by the time he had pushed open the door and entered the room there was somebody else drinking his wine.
Standing aghast that someone would be touching his drink, and to top it off it was a person he did not know. With his hands on his hips and a gormless look upon his face it looked more like Dan was going to start to dance then inquire after who the strange man was.

“Oy! Who in Merlin’s name are you? And more importantly why are you drinking my wine?”

His voice echoed across the empty room, with only the sound of the fire to contend with and the distance hooting from the owlery. The one thing about this man (he was guessing it was a man, no self respecting women would wear robes such as that) was that he could not see his face. First impression meant everything to Dan and so far this was not ranking high in his list.

[Prof. Hansel Hanzel]

The bottle slipped out of Hansel’s fingers, thick red liquid spreading across the floor as it smashed. Nearly tripping over a footstool Hansel moved into the firelight, frightened as to who had appeared from the darkness to shout at him. ‘Who goes there? I’m a teacher of this school, I shan’t be spoken to like that!’ He replied in a high voice, wand trembling as he held it up to the shadows. For one dreadful moment he imagined he could see Solomon’s bearded face observing him from the open doorway, but as the darkness thinned it instead revealed a tall, blonde haired man with angry blue eyes. ‘Oh my goodness…’ Hansel croaked weakly. ‘I apologies, my friend, I’d forgotten for a moment where I actually was...'

Pressing one palm to his forehead, Hansel's skin was prickled with cold sweat. He felt feverish and ill, and despite the wine his insides felt as cold as always, his heart thumping meekly in his hollow chest. The man was still watching him suspiciously, gaze flitting between the spilt wine and Hansel with much dislike. ‘My name is Hansel if you must know, and as of today I am the new Dark Arts professor of this school. ’ He breathed slowly, trying to muster a stronger glare that. ‘I apologise for the wine, though if it were really yours I doubt you would have left it open in such a busy room, no?’ He narrowed his eyes to scrutnized the man, trying to ignore the fear still gargling in his stomach.

[Professor Daniel Hubbles]

Dan’s narrowed gaze continued to look upon the man and out of the corner of his eye he saw something happen he did not need. The bottle was slipping out of his hands, it has slipped it was falling towards the floor and was quickly followed by an almighty smash and its contents seep down the many cracks on the flagstone flooring.
With a narrow gaze Dan turned to look at the man, but was rather disappoint to find that he looked a rather sickly man. His pale features matched his stuttering sentences, and as he held his hand to his forehead for a brief moment Dan thought he was going to faint.

Taking a small step forward ready to try and catch the man before he flopped to the ground Dan was more then relieved when he seemingly managed to compose himself and tell him who he was.
Dan raised an eyebrow at the mention of him being a Dark Arts teacher, it was a very rocky area and from this first impression this did not seem a man particularly suitable for teaching such a subject. But they when have stereotypes ever been right? He called himself Hansel and with being new to the school he would not have known not to challenge Dan when it came to drink.

“I was just about to pour myself a glass when I was called to see to a disturbance in one of the towers. I had planned on having a glass when I got back but it seems I am going to have to get a new bottle from the kitchens instead.”

Looking back down at the broken bottle Dan felt a pang of disappointment that wine had been such a good year and it was such a waste and it was painful to watch. So pulling out his wand Dan cut short his disappointment and with a small flick the broken glass disappeared as did most of the liquid, but a red stain remained on the flagstones.

[Prof. Hansel Hanzel]

Hansel glowered as the other professor leaned forward for a moment, anxious that he was swaying too much. ‘Leave me be, leave me be!’ Hansel snapped, flapping his hand at the other man to ward him away. ‘I’m perfectly fine, just a little anaemic in this weather, is all…’ Hansel lowered himself like a stiff puppet into a chair and pulled a white handkerchief from his breast pocket, dabbing his face gingerly. It seemed whenever anyone in this wretched castle wanted to speak to him they saw it fit to scare the living daylight out of him first! Oh, if only you weren’t such a coward, he chastised himself hatefully.

‘Dear sir, it was just a half-bottle, but if it honestly torments you so much then I’ll send my personal house elf to find you the best vintage red. Would that please you?’ He asked irksomely as he snapped his fingers, a emaciated little elf with strangely pretty eyes popping out of nowhere. ‘Sasha, go down to the wine cellar in the kitchen and find something for professor –‘ Hansel paused, looking sideways at the stranger. He raised one spindly eyebrow. ‘Forgive me, but I am no Legilimens. Who are you?’

‘He has a big nose,’ Sasha chimed in Russian, grinning up at the other professor sweetly.

[Professor Daniel Hubbles]

Dan looked at the man with a slight frown when he mentioned getting a new bottle, the thing that was bugging Dan mainly was not the loss of the wine but the principle of it that this other professor had decided to help himself, and the worst of it was that he actually had a house elf so he could have got his own.
Trying to keep his annoyance to himself Dan took a seat opposite that of Hansel and looked at the man order his house elf to get a new bottle of wine, that was until he stumbled on his name, which should not have surprised Dan seeing as they only had just met.

“Daniel Hubbles, head of Hufflepuff house and professor of charms.”

Dan most likely would have held out his hand for a good old fashioned hand shake when the house elf looked up at him and spoke in a foreign language, which Dan was convinced he had head before. Its sweet smile made him belief that nothing out of the ordinary had been said; in fact he liked to think she was commenting on how handsome he looked. But before he could say thank you the house elf clicked its figures and vanished out of sight leaving the two professors on their own.
At first a silence fell between them but Dan’s curiosity took over and he had to ask about the nationality of the house elf, as it hit him as being strange that an English man would have a house elf that spoke a different language.

“I do not mean to be rude or anything…but what language does your elf speak, I have a feeling I have heard it before but I can not think of where.”

[Prof. Hansel Hanzel]

‘Professor Hubbles of Charms,’ Hansel echoed slowly. ‘Charms is an excellent subject. I expect you’re quite accomplished to be accepted at such a prestigious school. Sasha? She is Russian. I lived over there for some time – ‘ he stressed the last two words slowly – ‘But it wasn’t to my… taste.’ He trailed off, the two of them falling into heavy silence, the conversation having run dry and neither permitted to make an excuse and leave while Daniel’s wine was lost in translation. Hansel now wished he had asked Sasha to also fetch a pitcher of pumpkin juice and some vodka for himself, for he was still craving a drink to steady his trembling fingers. The sides of his mouth slid down numbly and his tongue felt like a dead slab of meat in his mouth. ‘Would you like to sit down?’ He strained to ask, the quiet strangling him.

Sasha popped back into existence, two bottles of red and white wine tucked like giant barrels under her little arms. To Hansel’s pleasure a short bottle of vodka was gripped in her teeth. ‘You read me like a book, Sasha. Please, speak in English for Professor Hubbles. He isn’t familiar with your rough little tongue.’

Sasha walked up to Daniel and held up the two bottles like a toddler wanting to play. ‘Will the professor be joining Master?’ She smiled, innocent as ever.

‘No, Sasha, he will not,’ Hansel blurted all too eagerly, eyes bulging as Daniel scowled at him. Clearing his throat loudly, he quickly added, ‘For I expect he wishes to get back to bed!’

Sasha shook her head in pleasant disagreement. Grabbing Daniel by the ankle she picked it up, forcing the man to hop over to one of the vacant armchairs, prodding him in the back of the knee to make him sit down. Hansel’s pasty cheeks tinged pink. ‘She thinks I don’t socialise enough.’ He explained awkwardly.

[Professor Daniel Hubbles]

Dan did not know what to say, the man was making a rather large assumption about him and his ability at Charms, but Dan would not complain. In his time he had only lost a few wizard fights so maybe for once Dan was not giving himself enough credit.
But he did not dwell on this long as he thought about the nationality of the house elf and why the language seemed familiar. He had never been to Russia but when he was in Austria he had spent a few exiting nights with her in a rural hotel. She could not talk much English and Dan always thought that helped the weekend pass longer, it meant he did not have to listen to her talk about nonsense and they could get on with the important things and in the process Dan had picked up a few Russian words, but he did not expect a house elf to utter them. Particularly not in her masters presence.

But this house elf was a character as she started to push Dan towards a chair and pushed him into it. She did seem egger for her master to talk to someone, although Dan still stood by the fact Hansel did not look well and he needed a drink more then he did. But as he explained his house elf’s actions Dan could not help but laugh, it was sweet that the house elf cared enough to do that.

“Oh do not worry Hansel, Dia has a cold and I have not been able to get much sleep these past few nights. Not only does she steal the whole blanket but as she has lost the ability to breathe through her nose properly she has taken to breathing rather loudly through her mouth.” Dan gave a soft chuckle and slouched into the chair it get comfortable, yawning as he went. “So you have gained a drinking partner tonight my friend.”