"Peeves!!! I swear if I ever catch you in my classroom again!! I will have the Baron slice the skin from your body and sew it into a flag!!!" Came a voice roaring out of the open Potion class room. Peeeves came screaming out with a bit of smoke billowing off him. A fireball followed the poltergeist out of the room, but he turned the corner and shot away, the fireball hit the wall and flames licked the stones for a second before it went out.

Sebastian's hands still held flames as he closed his eyes and took several deep breaths, his features slowly shifted back away from the enraged Veela form. His features became less birdlike and his hands no longer resembled talons and the flames went out. He opened them again and shook for a moment. "Get a grip, he din't harm anything before you arrived, he won't dare come back now and no one was hurt." He hung his head for a moment, the anguish of letting his anger slip in school bothered him, but he knew it was something that might happen, he had talked it over with the headmaster before taking the job. Of course he didn't expect it to happen within the first week!

He checked over his robes, looking for any sort of stain or damage and seeing none sat back at the desk. He knew that students would be walking in at any moment, if they were not terrified of the outburst they might have witnessed coming down the hall.

Noriko stood frozen, looking terrified.

What was that?  She was used to unexpected jolts and starts in Defense Against the Dark Arts class, but never in Potions!  Was this some kind of monster, lurking down here in the Potions classroom waiting to throw fireballs at them so that it could cook them and eat them?  Had Peeves tried to protect them, and then gotten chased off?  Panicked, she looked over for Eirene, hoping that her knowledgeable friend had some idea of what to do. 

Should they run?  Should they send up red sparks to summon help?  Did that even work if you were inside Hogwarts?

Whatever the best action to take, she was not setting a foot inside that classroom.  Anxious, Noriko backed up several steps, trying to put several students between herself and the open doorway.  Maybe today was a good day to pretend to be ill and go hide back in her bed!

“Merlin!” Tim exclaimed, drawing his wand. He slung his satchel bag across his body so his hands were free and crept forward to the open door. The air smelled acrid from the fire and they could still hear Peeves screaming and cackling in the dungeons beyond them.

“Grumpy, grumpy Darkfall, all his students know bugger all…!” The poltergeist sang from a safe distance, still seemingly coming up with a suitable rhyme for the new Head of Slytherin and potions professor.

Tim glanced back at his classmates, mouth drawn out and down to one side, and crept forward.
“Professor Darkfall? Sir?”

Sebastian took one more steadying breath and looked at the door when the young lad called his name. "Apologies, Peeves was trying to mess with the ingredients cupboard, please come in and take your seats, we will begin in just a moment." He sat down at his desk, his eyes closed for a few as he heard the students slowly coming in. From how quiet they were he was sure that some had seen some of the outcome of his anger. : I will have to speak with the Headmaster about Peeves, that can't happen again.: He thought and once all the students had found seats he opened his eyes and stood again.

"Before we begin I most explain what transpired. Some of you already know who I am. Professor Sebastian Darkfall. But some of you might not yet know what I am. I am part Veela. My mother was a full Veela and I am a rare male, who has several traits of the Veela blood. One of them is the fireballs you saw chasing Peeves out of out classroom. I hope you will not see such an outburst from me again. If any of you have questions about it, I will permit you to ask them now." He sat back down and waited to see if any of them needed more information.

Tim paused cautiously in the doorway to the potions laboratory, waiting to see if Professor Darkfall might spew vitriol in his direction too. It would have been customary for many of the previous Slytherin Heads of Houses, after all.

“Apologies,” the Professor said, and cited Peeves. “… please come in and take your seats, we will begin in just a moment.” Tim nodded obediently and peered back into the corridor to signal his classmates to follow him in. He found a place towards the front, always keen to be able to see techniques without being obscured by others. He took out some parchment and the year’s textbook, his cauldron and other materials under his desk in their box.

Once they had all settled, Professor Darkfall addressed them all on his feet, explaining he was part Veela, which had caused the fireballs. Tim’s jaw went slack despite himself, amazed at this, both that the fireballs were not just wand magic, but also that the Professor would share that with them.

“… if any of you have questions about it, I will permit you to ask them now.”

Tim was normally one for thinking up a good question, but this sharing from their new Slytherin Head had him a little confused as to whether it would be appropriate, or if both Professor and his classmates would rather forget it all and move on to getting started on their fourth year studies. Tim glanced about the room and raised his hand.

“If it’s any consolation, Professor, I don’t think I’ve ever seem Peeves leave so fast.”