The Marauders - Order of the Phoenix - Part Two

Professor Binns's Deathday

Minerva looked at the clock on her wall. Wally Grant was nearly twenty minutes late for his latest detention.

Suddenly the door burst open.

"Sorry Professor," Wally said, flinging himself into the seat opposite McGonagall in her office. His book bag hit the floor with a thump that made her jump in surprise at the loudness of it. She eyed it with suspicion. What in the world was the boy toting about that was so heavy as to cause a sound like that? she wondered. "It's Binns's death day today and History of Magic was a right fuss. All the other ghosts were in there trying at getting him to celebrate it but the old goat didn't even notice, just kept rattling off dates for us to write down. Ever notice Binns never talks about nothin' but the Goblin Wars? Like, ever?" Wally asked.

McGonagall tore her attention from the mysteriously heavy book bag and focused on Wally Grant's face.

"Like every single time I think I've ever been in his class I feel ilke he's talking about the same bloody thing."

Ironically, Minerva had felt the same way as a girl - and Professor Binns had been alive at the time.

"Anyway, he's rattling off dates and there's nothing pausing him. And I don't know if you know this but Macy gets very, very, very stressed if she misses any of the information in Binns's class because he doesn't exactly hang about to give homework assistance or anything so she's convinced she's going to fail the OWL next year and for some reason that really bothers her... Anyway, she coudn't hear too good over the other ghosts all trying to get Binns to pay attention and celebrate his Deathday with them. Peeves was incredibly loud and obnoxious and even Nearly Headless Nick was shouting over the din - all the Headless Hunt had come and Nick had his knickers in a bunch." Wally shook his head. "Anyway, that's why I'm late. We were all trying to fix Macy because she had a ripe old panic attack up in the Common Room."

"It's alright, Mr. Grant, since you were doing something for a friend, I'll overlook the tardy, but don't let it happen again," McGonagall answered. She paused, "And did Miss. Struthers go and see Madam Promfrey about her anxiety?"

"Oh yeah, Poppy's taken care of it. She gets a potion for it, see."

McGonagall nodded and made a note to check on Macy Struthers herself later on after Wally Grant had been dismissed.

"I didn't know ghosts celebrated Deathday parties," Wally commented. "Did you?"

"Yes, they celebrate them much the same as we do our birthdays," McGonagall answered.

Wally nodded. "Blimey. Can you imagine what Binns was like when he was alive? I certainly can't. Bet he was equally boring, though, if the old man has no idea he's done died then he must not have had very much of a life. That's actually pretty sad. D'you really think he didn't notice?"

McGonagall's lip twitched ever so slightly. "I happen to know for a fact that he didn't, Mr. Grant."

Wally looked at her. "Oh?"

"I was in the first class he taught after his... passing."

"What? No way!" Wally was lit up like a torch with excitement at this. "What happened?"

Minnie could remember it like it was yesterday. She hesitated, and said, simply, "He just came to class and taught the same as any other day."

"Blimey. That's it? That's boring."

"Mm-hm," she murmured.

It had been anything but, honestly, though. That entire day had been one that she wasn't likely to forget any time soon. She had to keep her eyes diverted from Wally Grant in an attempt to hide the flush crawling up her neck. "That's enough jabbering, Mr. Grant," she said decidedly, pointing with her quill at the desk and chair in the corner of the room. "You may have a seat there and work on reading or writing if you have a homework assignment. I'll keep time for you."