[IC] The Ghoul Game (An Odd Harry Potter RP)

[RumikoOhara]

Acantha slowly sat up and stretched the sleep from her body then looked around the crypt she called her quarters. Hovering nearby the ghost of her mother was chatting with the castle Poltergeist Peeves who noticed the pale form of the Ghoul studies prof and started laughing.

"It awakens and this night seeks the blood of innocents" Peeves giggled as he circled her till Acantha's mother gave him a stern look. "You know you're not as fun as your daughter" giggled the annoying little man.

Acantha laughed as she set her feet on the stones of her room. "Good morning Peeves, good morning mother" she said to the two intruders in her room.

Peeves drifted over and blew her gown up trying to once more shock Acantha only to experience disappointment when she simply walked across the room to her wardrobe. She knew that to react to his tricks she would only cause him to seek her out as a regular target and she'd be forced to offend him with several secret spells used to deal with his kind and she'd lose his participation in her classes.

She laughed softly and reached out an touched the odd little man and though she'd done this before he still acted surprised that she could make contact. He shyly backed away then spun out of existence headed off to find a less vexing target.

Once Acantha was dressed she vanished from the crypt and reappeared near the dinning hall and entered. The students were already present and beginning to tuck into the food presented by the elves for their consumption. She smiled serenely as she drifted a few inches off the floor and looked over the table containing her fellow professors. Elisa Albright the potions professor looked over at her and shook her head in disapproval at her late colleague.

It was the evening meal and already the newest students had been sorted and sat with their houses and some of the other instructors thought it inappropriate that she appear at whatever time she wished.

The Headmaster smirked in her direction enjoying how she floated like a ghost to her seat. When Acantha had first met Hadrian Longinus Blevins some thought he would release her from service. He had instead almost instantly embraced her even going so far as to insist that during the school holiday that she instruct him in her subject. He'd proven a very knowledgeable wizard though like many that did not focus on her field still lacking the refinement necessary to understand the secrets beyond the veil.

Once seated Acantha began searching the students for those that would be joining her in her class. She didn't eat only sipping from her own silver goblet her port staining her lips crimson briefly.

The first she spotted was Ruthanne Weaver-Jones a young Hufflepuff witch with wild red hair. @XxFellsingxX She was a curious girl and at so young an age a questionable student for Acantha's course with over half her age usually opting out for a second year but only time would tell.

The next was Estelle Marie Forrester another Hufflepuff witch but also cursed with the gift of being a Medium; she was a girl who desperately needed Acantha's course but was still not immune to the loss of interest or quitting out of fear. @XxLyraxX

Anthony Seamus O'Hamerson another Puff and her most recognizable student due to the fact that he was a half giant.
@Saarebas He would prove an interesting adition.

[Saarebas]

"Hey Hammy quit hogging all the sweet rolls!" A female Hufflepuff shouted at one of her housemates who quite literally towered above the rest of his classmates. The boy who was the target of the girl's scorn had his face covered in crumbs and a large sweet roll in each of his massive hands, one with a chuck already bitten out of it. The boy with the sweet roll crumb beard, known to almost everyone as Hammy, laughed slightly before putting one of the sweet rolls back, the unbitten one of course. "I'm sorry Sarah, but you know I have a giant sweet tooth." Hammy said with a goofy grin, most of the table snickered and giggled at his corny joke like always. After letting out a hearty laugh himself Hammy took another bite out of the sweet roll he kept before fallowing it with a swig from the bottle of butter beer he had. Hammy had always loved the beginning of the year feast, gave him the perfect chance to meet all of the new members of his house along with all the others who were sorted into the other houses. Like always he welcomed each of his new housemates warmly, he was after all the unofficial den mother of the Hufflepuffs as some liked to say. Despite his mind boggling stature most of the new arrivals seemed to adapt to that pretty well, the friendly aura that Hammy gave off also helped with that. Though one thought did sit in the back of the jolly giant's mind, this was his last year at Hogwarts and the last time he would get to greet the new students like this, but he managed to replace that thought with a happier one. Yes this was his last year, but he was going to make it the best one yet.

[XxFellsingxX]

Face half-hidden by a long curtain of frizzy, somewhat tangled red hair, Ruthanne Weaver-Jones sat slumped forward in her chair, gazing somewhat blankly down at her Charms textbook, her eyes slowly scanning the words on the page yet, judging by their dulled expression, seemed to be taking very little of it in. It wasn't as if Charms class bored Ruth, far from it, but while she had promised herself to diligently read at least a couple of chapters of all of her textbooks before the beginning of this year's lessons, her mind couldn't focus on such things as Summoning or Banishing charms. She couldn't even summon up the effort to recall anything she had learnt from last year.

Because her thoughts were somewhere else entirely. Not on just one single thing, but on many things. Thousands of little, seemingly unconnected thoughts, some of them concerns, some of them questions, and some of them merely observations. While Ruth wasn't a particularly bright girl, she was curious and very observant, sharp-eyed. She noticed, for example, that fellow Hufflepuff Anthony Seamus O'Hamerson, known to most as 'Hammy', was hogging all the sweet rolls again, something another student was berating him for. Despite being in the same house as him, Ruth didn't really know O'Hamerson all that well and had never attempted to speak to him. This was partly because he was half-giant, and his height made him very intimidating to approach, partly because he was older and she felt as if all the older students had better things to do than talk to their underclassmen, and partly simply because, well, he was a boy, and other than her father and her younger brother, Robert, Ruth didn't have much experience talking to boys. In the past, when she had tried to make conversation with other boys, they usually end up making fun of her, as because of this, Ruth was particularly shy around them and made an effort not to speak to them unless they spoke to her first.

Ruth also noticed, in the corner of her eye, that one of the teachers had been looking at her, but when she had turned her ever-so-slightly towards the table, she couldn't see anyone focussed on her in particular and, feeling a little nervous, silently returned her gaze back to her Charms book.

Next to Ruth, one dark talon planted possessively on Ruth's plate - which was piled generously with Ruth's favourite foods, yet none of it had been touched by Ruth herself - was Ash, Ruth's only real friend, as she was too shy to start conversations with other students. He was loyal, mischievous, a bit of pain sometimes, but still a lot of fun to be around. He kept Ruth on her toes with his constant pranks, was there for her when she needed someone to confide in, and had the best sense of humour Ruth had ever known.

Oh, and, in case I forgot to mention, Ash was also an owl.

Yes, Ash was Ruth's pet Barn Owl, and was particularly notable due to his distinctive colouring. Ash had melanism, development of dark skin and feather pigment, while most Barn owls were pale brown and white in colour, Ash was a dark grey with occasionally patches of reddish brown here and there, particularly on his face. It was for this reason he was known as Ash, for his grey colouring had reminded Ruth of ashes.

Ash nibble greedily on some of Ruth's food, before pausing to see the girl staring at her page, no longer following any sentences. It appeared she had gone off into a daze. Ash made the appropriate response, and yanked at a clump of her hair.

"Ow!" Ruth exclaimed loudly, causing a couple of students next to her to cast her strange glances. Ruth shot Ash a glare. "What was that for!?"

Ash tilted his head slightly and stared at her with innocent black eyes as if to say "Who, me?" before continuing to eat.

[XxLyraxX]

Estelle sat at the Hufflepuff table with the rest of her fellow classmates, glasses perched in their usual place on her nose. She was sitting right next to Hammy though she was too absorbed in the book the Fat Friar had told her about which was propped up against her goblet of apple juice to notice the commotion about the sweat rolls. Estelle herself looked miniscule next to the half-giant. Her long strawberry-blonde hair was down from its normal braid and was spilling well past her waist in waves.

Her cat Salem was curled up in her lap, bright aquamarine eyes lazily scanning around the Great Hall. They had flickered briefly in Hammy's direction though only for a second before the feline grew bored and looked up at Estelle. He sat up and rubbed the top of his head under her chin. She was broken from her trance and her eyes dropped away from the book to her beloved friend. She smiled softly at him and scratched behind his ears, causing the feline to start purring.

Estelle raised her head and looked around the Great Hall. Everyone was chatting to their friends and eating happily. Estelle felt a sharp pang of loneliness before she pushed it away. She wasn't alone, she had Salem didn't she? Her eyes slide away from the other students and alighted on the staff table. The familiar faces greeted her and she examined them before they stopped on one professor in particular. Professor Oxynte or Miss Night as she liked to be called was a complete mystery to Estelle. She felt like spirit but not wholly and that completely confused Estelle.

She shook her head slightly and turned back to her book. Salem, slightly annoyed she had stopped petting him, meowed and leaped up onto the table, almost upsetting her juice. "Salem!" She exclaimed, scowling at her feline. He looked back with an indifferent look as he sat down and curled his tail about his paws. Estelle sighed and reached for him, lifting him off the table and setting him back in her lap.

"You know you're not allowed on the table, how many times do I have to tell you that?" She chastised him gently, sighing as she resumed scratching him behind his ears in hope to mollify him. The cat settled down and began purring again, eyes half closing in bliss. The young girl shook her head affectionately at her cat before she returned to her book. She wasn't really hungry and she didn't eat much as it was.

[RumikoOhara]

Acantha left the meal early and met briefly with three of her four students from last year. The first to walk up and greet her was a lovely blonde girl who named Aella Arcane a 6th year Slytherin who was called the spider queen by even her fellow Slytherin because of her love and understanding of arachnids. Next was Bella Sinclair a 5th year Ravenclaw who was a dedicated researcher of Ghoul history and even surprised Acantha with her detailed knowledge of English spirits. After her was Eric Hendrix a 6th year Ravenclaw who was a medium who had come to her under possession of a former member of his family, it had taken her two months two expel the unwanted ghost from him. Many wondered why it took her so long to rid him of the ghost and it only showed to her their lack of understanding of how dangerous exorcism could be.

She had one more student but he couldn't attend the feast an didn't need to eat because he wasn't alive. His name was Horace Uthur and he was in his 166th year an at large former Gryffindor who'd died in his 7th year while exploring the catacombs. An interesting Ghost he was fettered to the class but didn't mind at all because he actually enjoyed helping his fellow students.

After speaking with the three and asking them to prepare the introduction Acantha waited for her new students at the exit.@XxLyraxX@XxFellsingxX@Saarebas

[themadhatter420]

Adam found the room from his mothers old map he gave him before he came to Hogwarts that year. He looked into the room seeing only a few other students and some of them were in other classes together. He sighed and found an empty seat in the middle of the room getting out a quill and notebook to get ready for the lesson. He hoped he could learn everything he could when it came to Ghouls. He wanted to help the ministry of Magic like his mother helping them figure out how they died if they were not of natural causes. He always wanted to help people find "justice" in a way.

[RumikoOhara]

Aella walked into Ghoul studies and grabbed a seat closest to where Horace Uthur always appeared. That was when she noticed the new boy and turned to look at him.

He was a Griff boy about a year younger than she was. He was kind of cute and like most of his house annoyingly bright eyed, not that she minded but she knew her sister Serpents would hate him.

"Welcome to the closer step to death" said Aella with smile her jade green eyes seeming to try and pierce his soul.

Like a snake she seemed incapable of blinking and her smile carried not just camaraderie but was reminiscent of a cat's observing a fat mouse.

Behind the pale blonde wafting up from beneath the bench that served as his came a ghost wearing the robes of a fellow Griff who chuckled softly.

"Aella is harmless here Adam because we all share a common environment that few ever understand." says the ghost student as he phases through her back coming out of her chest.

Aella shivers and hissed
"Horace Uthur that was too rude, have you been hanging out with Peeves too much this summer?"

She pouts her expression honest embarrassment her pale yet beautiful gaining a rosy glow that only serves to make her seem more like a normal girl

@themadhatter420

[themadhatter420]

@RumikoOhara

Adam saw the ghost and the other student and smiled. "No worries Aella I am used to it. The ghosts remember my mother and they all play games with me to see when I will snap. I only get mad at Peeves on average though." He said with a smile cleaning off the seat next to him in case she wanted to sit with him. He understood if he didn't because they were in different grades or houses, but he knew it was a nice gesture.