Ghost Tours
Chapter 8- Ghost Tours
He didn’t have to wait long for Minerva to meet him outside the ornate doors of the Great Hall.
“Alright, follow me. I think it would be best to show you your classroom first. Wouldn’t want you getting lost tomorrow.” She said, walking down a hall. There were silver suits of armor here and there and the portraits flitted between their frames, no doubt gossiping about anything and everything. Eventually, with Minerva making little comments about ‘landmarks’ and some history here and there, they came to a nondescript wooden door.
“Here we are.” The door swung open on its own, revealing a decently sized room with a few tables. “It’s one of the smaller classrooms, as not many people take this course, but if it becomes too much of a bother we have plenty of empty classrooms you could move in to. Just makes sure to notify me or the headmaster so we can make an announcement.” She said, like a realter trying to sell you a house.
“It’s fine…” He walked in to look around. It wasn’t anything to write home about, just long wooden tables with chairs, a large desk in front of a blackboard, and a bookcase to the side. “Is there any way I could get new furniture and a few extra things? I have a feeling I won’t be able to get anything big delivered.” He asked.
“Ah yes, for anything you can’t Owl Order we have a muggle address you can have things delivered too. Just send a note to either me or the headmaster and we’ll send someone to pick it up.” She pulled out a piece of parchment and a quill and quickly wrote down the address. “We should be able to get whatever you need in three (3) days at most.” She handed him the parchment.
‘111 HogWart Dr.’
He pocketed it and they continued their tour.
The castle was huge and confusing. He groaned once he found out about the shifting stairs. He saw the hospital wing, the entrance to the dungeons, and a few other classrooms. Basically all the important rooms. He was also told of his duties outside of teaching.
He dreaded the nightly patrols he would have to do. Luckily he was good at keeping an eye out in the dark, and even in the unfamiliar place he should be able to navigate through it well enough. He found the point system lacking. It wasn’t really structured, staff could give or take as many points as they wanted, which seemed kind of unfair. Especially when the Heads of House would absolutely be biased.
He also met the castle ghosts.
“Is this the new teacher we’ve been hearing all about?” Asked a nearly headless specter.
“A pureblood teaching Muggle Studies! I never would have believed it, if I weren’t seeing it with my own eyes.” Called another.
“I would,” Answered a regal ghost with silvery blood staining his robe, “he is an Afton. That family always had a peculiar interest in Muggles.” He said with a blank face, although there was a slight tinge of disgust in his voice.
Michael glared. He didn’t know how to feel about ghosts. It was obvious that they weren’t like his sister, who had gone insane being trapped in that animatronic, but that didn’t mean they weren’t dangerous. Minerva’s assurance that they were harmless did nothing to settle his distrust, people had said the same about the animatronics. They didn’t seem to like him much anyways, which was fine by him.
They continued on with the tour.
He paid more attention to the routes than the other teachers trivia. He could tell they had some ghostly shadows, but he ignored it. Eventually they made their way outside.
The greenhouses were interesting enough, although Michael knew he wouldn’t spend to much time there. The lake was comforting, it’s inky black depths were mesmerizing, although the knowledge of what lived down there less so. He was warned of the Forbidden Forest, but he figured it would be a great place for potion ingredients. His own stores were getting a little low and he would rather not bother the Potions Master too much. Minerva had said his name was ‘Severus’.
He was shown Hagrid’s hut as well, and promptly invited inside by the man. How he could live in such a cramped space Mike could never know.
He was introduced to ‘Fang’, the great big hound had tried to jump him and was promptly sent to his bed, and given an inedible Rock Cake. The place was cozy, although the roaring fire made him a bit nervous in the wooden structure. Hagrid was kind fellow, although he wasn’t the brightest. The grounds keeper tried to offer tips and reassurance for the coming year, as had Minerva, but Michael was only half listening.
As the tour came to a close Mike was led back to his rooms. It was just past lunchtime, although Michael wasn’t all that hungry. He decided to look around the kitchen regardless, it would be good to know what he needed to have delivered.
The kitchenette was nothing special. There was an ice box on the far left next to some counter space and the sink. To the right there was a small gas stove and oven and a long counter with, to his surprise, a microwave on the far right. There were some cabinets along the wall, as he opened them he found that they were already stocked.
With a sigh he turned and walked to his bedroom. Reaching his potions he checked over his ingredients, taking note of what he needed most and writing out a list on a notepad. He would have to ask the Potions Master what he would be able to harvest and what he would have to order.
Storing it away, he resigned himself to his bed. His meeting with the Dark Lord was tonight, and considering how he hadn’t seen Quirrell at all today, this would be a long chat.
He surrendered to the inky black of sleep.