[Corridors] Prowling the corridors

[Prof. Jack Fagin]

Fagin glared around as he pushed roughly past the students streaming out of their lessons. Taking points willy nilly for the most minor of offences he chuckled evily, though that one little lad had given him a very strange look, and those robes had needed seeing to as well. Rubbing his together with glee as he saw a group of students in a large group chattering in a conspirative manor, he swooped down on them roaring
"what have we here?" they jumped in surprise and probable fear, sealing their fate as Fagin now deduced they had a guilty conciense and something dire to hide. A tall spiky haired boy made to hide some parchment in his robe pocket until he yelped in pain as Fagin grabbed eagerly at his arm pinching him soundly,
"hello hello," he said happily taking the note and reading it aloud
"Denis loves Jackie eh? well I never" The nearest short plump girl blushed profusely as did an ugly brute with a swagger. Laughing aloud Fagin added to their suffering by taking more points with a gleeful expression upon his face.
Letting those few students scurry away he hoped they had learnt their lesson and wouldn't soon venture into his corridor again.
Looking around for his next victim he took a hip flask for his inside pocket and took a long draft of his firewhiskey. Fagin licked his lips and savoured the strong taste.

[Prof. Jonathan Starsmore]

'Nothing like crushing the first buds of young love, eh?' Jonathan stated with an amused grin. He had been leaning against a pillar a few yards away, observing the grounds out of a particularly dirty stainglass window. He had heard many a story from his students about the tyrant Professor Fagin, some of them pleading with him desperately to give them a detention that would clash with the one given to them by Professor Fagin so that they might avoid a more torturous evening. There had even been one case of a fifth year bursting into tears, declaring he simply could not face another Muggles Studies lesson.

Now that the imfamous slave driver was finally stood before him, firewhiskey in hand, dark beady eyes darting about suspiciously, Jonathan could honestly not understand what everyone was getting so upset about - he just looked little a frail old man...

[Prof. Jack Fagin]

Looking blearly eyed at a man slouched slovenly against a pillar scant feet from him, Fagin looked him up and down with an eye full of derision, it seemed this young toff was a fellow teacher, or else he wouldn't have dared talk to him in such a matter, his blood boiling instantly he took a swig of firewhiskey to calm himself and become suddenly soothed.
"Ah that's better," he sighed "nothing like a good firewhiskey," he advised the young man, perhaps he shouldn't judge him too quickly. Laughing as his fellow learned man grinned at the students misfortune he agreed wholeheartedly.
"Indeed, who the hell needs love eh? Get it out of their system while they can still learn, mark my words, you've never been in love have you?" he asked darkly hoping the young fool hadn't. Perhaps this bloke wouldn't be half so bad as the others he thought hopefully.

[Prof. Jonathan Starsmore]

Jonathan wrinkled his nose and raised one hand dismissively. 'Love? No. Don't touch the stuff.' He said earnestly. Jonathan could not deny he adored females with a hearty, eager passion, but having witnessed time and time again impressive men fall weak at the knees of vicious, emotionally unstable ice queens, Jonathan had decided long ago that he would play his higher cards sparingly.

Pushing himself off the pillar with his shoulders Jonathan paced over to Professor Fagin, narrowly managing to avoid the several student who (upon spotting the Muggle Studies teacher glaring at them threateningly) had made a hasty retreat. 'You can try and put them off for life, I agree,' he said, referring to the students. 'But from what I hear there's been a lot of drama in the staffroom - of all places, eh? - I try not to go in there myself, but it's what I've heard. Don't know anything do you, professor?' He inquired with a raised chin. 'I'm Starsmore, by the way. New Defense Against the Dark Arts bloke.'

[Prof. Jack Fagin]

Relaxing in the presence of this young man came easy to Fagin, he reminded him strikingly of a younger self, though obviously far less handsome, though he knew these first impressions could prove him wrong he chuckled nonethless.
"Very good," muttered Fagin "there's a brain on those shoulders."
Glaring profusely at all the passing students who of course always gave him a wide berth he smirked to see the young man nearly bowled off his feet by a gaggle whom he had recently had in detention for whispering at the back of his class, one of them had had the audacity to doodle on his Muggle Studies book. Which needless to say had lost him many house points and free evenings. Sneering at the passing student who sped up nearly knocking over one of his fellows due to his haste, he looked back at the young man.
"Ah Defence Against the Dark Arts eh? Good good, enjoy evil do you? Or are you rather more against it?" He asked a gleam coming to his eye.
Laughing gruffly he remarked "drama in the staffroom, haven't heard bout it, like to keep away from the blighters myself, rarely keep enough discipline for my liking." He grated, but he was now more than curious and leaned towards him close enough that the unfortunate Starsmore would probably get a strong whiff of the combined stink of firewhiskey and ultimately bad breath. Having forgotten until now to intridue himself Fagin added
"but of course you know me."

[Prof. Jonathan Starsmore]

Jonathan squinted his eyes in thought. 'Well I wouldn't call so called "dark" magic evil... its more than got its good points. How else do you think I got this job?' He said jokingly. 'What about you anyway? What's a man like you doing in a place like this, teaching a subject like Muggle Studies to people like that?'

He nodded his head toward a short Slytherin boy standing outside a classroom door, staring vacantly into space with one finger shoved up his nose. Jonathan whipped his wand from his robes and pointed it at the boy. There was a loud sucking noise and suddenly the lad squealed, unable to remove his finger from his nostril. 'Nasty habit you've got there.' Jonathan said with a grim shake of his head. 'Go on, best run off to Dr Dumbledorable...'

After watching him skitter away Jonathan turned back to Fagin, looking at him expectantly, still waiting for an answer to his question.

[Prof. Jack Fagin]

Wondering why this Starsmore was so insufferably curious and interogative, he failed to notice the hypocrisy of his thoughts. He liked his humour very much though, chuckling at the false pretence on how he had secured his position here at Hogwarts Fagin was about to answer gruffly to his questions when the man jinxed a pupil.
With a booming laugh which he couldn't stop, Fagin laughed fit to burst.
"Ha nice one," he roared clapping the young man strongly on the back appreciatively. As the flow of pupils began to subside slightly Fagin grinned malevolently at those few left, who averted their eyes quickly.
Making sure nobody was within hearing distance Fagin muttered conspiratorially
"well lad, let's just say I'm the perfect man fer the job, why I chose this infernal place is beyond even me and you, but discipline is slowly improving, they learn their lessons eventually," he muttered, knowing his efforts were to no avail in the end, they would always be nasty little blighters.
"Somebody's got to teach the little gits, and Muggles are my speciality, what brings you ere then? Got no better prospects than this? I was bloomin retired, but this is far more fun," he said laughing as he simply clicked his fingers and a student broke into a run to escape.
"No running!" he roared "detention with me tonight girl!" Sniggering as his simple tricks worked a treat he turned back to his colleague and looked at him intently, sizing the young man up, perhaps he should take him under his wing to make sure he turned out good and nasty.

[Prof. Jonathan Starsmore]

With a sly smirk Jonathan leaned in, rubbing fingers and thumb together. 'Why else would I be here? I was working behind a desk in the ministry before this - It was nothing. After that poor sod Sddis pegged it no one wanted this job, did they? All thought it wasn't worth the risk! Do you have any idea how much the wage has gone up for this job because of the supposed "risk"?' He barked a laugh of disbelief, shaking his head with a grin. 'I'm living it up here! I keep my head out of trouble I doubt I'll end up like the last one, eh?'

The students had all but vanished now. At the end of the corridor the double doors leading out onto a random balcony stood open. Although balconies were off limits to students, whoever had opened it had already disappeared. Jonathan reached into his pocket and slipped out a thick cigar. 'Want to join me?' He asked as he began to head toward the door, a beaming grin still plastered on his face.

[Prof Octavious Everritt]

((You mentioned him, now he's come back, And not as a ghost.))

Hiding in the dark, dank corners of the corridors of the school, stealing food from the kitchens, using lost students clothes, Leigh since his revival had been using the school for protection. Still without a wand, he used the little wandless magic he knew he could use. Finding rats and other oddball creatures in the hidden walkways and corridors, Leigh crept silently along as a tiger, his Animagus form, his ears picking up any conversations he had heard.

The little snippets of conversation he heard didn't tell him much about his departure from the school, except that a few students had missed him for a few days. Despite the regret of his actions, Leigh remained strong and steadfast to continue living the way he was, until he heard his name mentioned between two men talking about treating the students roughly. He returned to his normal form before crawling out of the tunnel and rose behind the man who had mentioned him.

His body was covered in a cloak he had made, the patches of dark material making him look like a poor Dementor, but not. Seeing the man had taken a cigar out, Leigh reached forward and gripped the mans wrist tightly.

'Not so pegged now, am I?' Leigh said, frowning heavily before a creepy smile came across his face. 'Plus didn't anyone tell you, smoking is bad for your health.'

[Prof. Jonathan Starsmore]

Jonathan's eyes grew wide as the illest looking man he had ever seen crawled from the shadows, his skin so pale and sickly Jonathan wondered if he had been suffocated several times or held underwater. He was thin and spindly, though from his demeanor Jonathan could tell that at one point he had been strong and robust, the sharpness of his eyes proving that. He was dressed in loops of rags, some newer than others and identifiable as student's attire. It was when a cold clammy hand gripped his wrist that Jonathan really showed his disgust.

'Who in Merlin's name are you?' Jonathan face creased as he fought to wrench his wrist from the man's grasp. Who, indeed, was this person? Jonathan had certainly never seen him before, and what was worse was that he appeared to have been in the school for some time, creeping about among the students dangerously. Jonathan momentarily dropped his cigar and pulled out his wand, pointing it directly under the man's chin with a malevolent expression. 'What business do you have in this school?' He demanded sternly.

(( Eh, in what thread did he come back all of a sudden? And just so you know - Jon doesn't know what Leigh looks like so obviously won't know who he is. ))

[Prof. Jack Fagin]

Nodding sagely and agreeing whole-heartedly with what Starsmore said he felt new found respect for the young man. He really was quite a crafty bugger, he was about to divulge the compliment and accept the cigar gratefully; of course he wasn't one to not accpet free gifts, he plucked a muggle lighter from his pocket and declared after viewing Starmore's quizzical expression
"I am the muggle hugging guy, got to keep up the image." As an extremely strange, what he presumed was a man stepped forward out of the gloom Fagin allowed the younger man to jump in and settle the situation, looking with distaste upon the man who had disrupted their pleasant smoke and had then had the audacity to insult smoking to boot. Glaring profusely at him he added
"who the devil are ye? Some kinda freak who don' like smokes, obviously hasn't taught anybody has he?" he roared with laughter nudging his partner in crime. As Starsmore dropped his cigar he plucked the plummeting beauty out of the air and lit it smoothly in one smooth motion, taking a long draught he puffed the refreshing smoke out into the air, clouding everybody's vision. Coughing gently always a good sign for a decent cigar he enquired "decent batch this, where'd you get them from? Black market?" Then remembering the dishevelled man before them he said to him, "get some food down you, and you even smell funny."

[Prof Octavious Everritt]

((It's a thread in forest You have to read Blacks thread with morziak first to understand ;D ))

Leigh mustered a smile. 'I am the one you replaced as Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.' Leigh said, answering solely, before scoffing a laugh. 'Business? I'm in hiding! What does it look like? Every second my life is in danger from a foe you cannot even fathom, he would consume your soul before you even knew what happened. Maybe you should go talk to the Ministry pawn, Vandesar about his power.'

Leigh finished speaking before a gust of cigar smoke washed over his face, breathing it in, soon causing him to cough violently. He let go of Starsmore hand, stepping away as he felt his lungs would explode. Forcing himself to calm down, Leigh looked with rage at the other professor, his eyes narrowing and his pupils becoming narrow slits as they always did when he became angry, his Animagus control barely there.

'Food is something I cannot have at the moment, he'll know I'm here!' Leigh said, standing to his full height, despite the pounding pain in his chest. 'I don't need to feel the cold clutches of my own death again, so if someone says smoking is bad for your health, take note!' Leigh let out another cough, his eyes never losing focus on the one with the cigar.

[Prof. Jonathan Starsmore]

'Shut up about smoking!' Jonathan snapped irritably, his head swimming with the shoddy information that man had offered. This was supposed to be Leigh Addis? The dead Leigh Addis? A light switched on in Jonathan's head as some small voice informed him that it was feasible - that, in all truth, no one had actually reported finding a body. The more Jonathan thought about it, the more likely it seemed that Leigh had simply been missing all this time... but why had he been in hiding, and why was he choosing to reveal himself now?

Jonathan lowered his wand and glared at the man sideways. Something told him he should still be suspicious and wary. And what in Merlin's name was he babbling about? 'What foe?' Jonathan said slowly as if Leigh were some small child who could not bare too much at any one moment. 'My soul? Vandesar?' He briefly remembered the suave looking ministry official, but he still could not place why it was important.

A lone student had appeared up ahead in the corridor, obviously late for a lesson. As he passed the three men he looked upon them quite innocently - and stopped dead when he saw Leigh. 'Professor Addis?' He squeaked weakly before turning a sickly grey, collapsing at their feet.