Because it's either that or walking...

Well, I see everyone's busy with exams and everything, so I'll make this quick.

Hello, students! I apologize for my unannounced absence, but I'm back! For those of you who don't remember me, I'm Professor Thobari Durandal Kumohira, and I'll be helping Yukimi grade tests in the meantime, it seems.

I hope you've all had a great semester while I was away, and I wish you the best of luck on your tests! You're in the final stretch now, so give it your all.

[ Not gonna talk about shirts. At all. Because 'Likes older women,' 'killed Asahi Rokujou,' 'KEEPS SECRETS,' and 'TOBI' are embarrassing and totally not relevant to anything. ]

It's....... good to know that I was happy? And that someday I'll tell Miharu about what happened...

[ asdfghjkl;;;; BUT BEING GAY IN THE FUTURE WHAT IS THAT? AND HAVING FUZZY MEMORIES ABOUT CERTAIN THINGS WITH CERTAIN PEOPLE IS NEVER FUN. NOT. GONNA. TALK. ABOUT IT....strikes unhackable, btw. ]

It seems I left my journal in my suitcase all this time. That's quite a shame; I actually think trying to make Lemon Drops was a lot of fun. I'll have to try again when I get back to school and find some time. Though with my new duties, this may be easier said than done?

In any case, The conference has been instructive and things have been... good. I'm certainly looking forward to the new year.

[ SOMEONE seems happy. Unfortunately, no, he didn't "get lucky," but he did make out up with Kallen. Annnnd, since they're sharing the same room; there be cuddles. Lots of cuddles. Because that's just how they roll. ]

Well, thankfully that crazy journal business is over. I hear some people were getting attacked? That's unfortunate. My journal seemed to be taking pity on me very affectionate, to be honest. I suppose it doesn't blame me for losing it those times earlier in the year.

In any case, it's worth mentioning that I've taken in a second cat, at least partially. I think? Castiel entrusted Lilith to me, and although she's blind, you'd never guess that by how she acts. She and Raphael fight almost constantly, but they're from the same litter, so it's playful I hope. I've had to separate her and Raphael several times now; he's much larger than her, since she's been alone all this time... I sincerely hope the two get along eventually. Well, Lilith seems to particularly enjoy being around Castiel, so maybe if she only sleeps and eats in my room, it will be alright.

...It's a little funny; at the beginning of the school year, I never would have guessed I'd be dealing with two kittens and a still headstrong owl. Cats are... well, they're certainly a handful. [unhackable (50% to Maron)] At least it gives me something to think about outside of Yukimi and... less pleasant things. [/unhackable]

Speaking of owls, Anna finally decided to give me the invitation to the Teacher's Conference. It's in Monaco!? H-how are we even going to get there...? Please don't say "portkey," please.

( Private. Unless you're Castiel, Maron or Kallen. In which case, you can probably hack like three words of this. Oh and Gabe can hack it too, BUT Thobari didn't exactly plan that. )

[Filtered to Castiel]
I actually have something I wanted to ask you as well, if you don't mind...

It's been a quiet week at the Castle, hasn't it? Has anyone seen Kallen around? I haven't heard from her...

I'm... still around, I suppose. Staying positive and working with Raphael on surpassing his biting phase. He listens to me now, which is an improvement, but... [ pauuuse for sighs. ] I don't think he and Anna will ever get along.

At least the Castle hasn't pulled anything strange recently. Though I hear we have a new poltergeist, so maybe I've just been lucky.

Lucky, huh...? Yeah.....

How're things for everyone else?

[[strikes hackable, my broskis.]]

[[Strikes are all 60~100% Hackable, depending on how close you are to him.]]

This is it, everyone! The final stretch! I hope you're all studying your hardest! I'm rooting for you all, even those of you whom I don't teach. And I'm not discussing the guests we had outside of that strange teacher and the rather sweet student. Castiel, this is directed at you.

As for me, I have some... rather strange news? My owl, Black, passed away last month. (And yes, his name was just "Black.") He was quite old, so I can't say I was too surprised. It's a bit sad, considering Grandpa got him for me, but, well... it's inevitable. Well, regardless, that isn't the strange part. The odd thing happened last weekend, when I decided to make a quick run to find a new one. That's not to say that the ones the school provides aren't excellent, but we tend to get a lot of post over the summer at home-- but I digress.

Long story short; as I was walking by, this owl began squawking incessantly at me. The owner of the store came to see what the fuss was about, and was surprised. It turns out the bird was a female Madgascar Red Owl, very expensive and for as long as the owner had her, she had always been very quiet. I assumed she didn't like me, but the moment the owner opened her cage, she flew up and perched on my shoulder, quiet as can be. I couldn't get her off to be honest, not without her squawking angrily again, so I ended up purchasing her, only... As soon as I got back to Hogwarts, she flew off my shoulders and that was that. I didn't even have time to give her a name.

She did reappear a few days later, of course, but she's a bit odd. For starters, she gets my mail wrong. I've been finding it in my office, in my room, in the classroom? And even in random places that I don't frequent very often. She's completely unpredictable; sometimes she'll fly in and perch on my shoulder once again, gazing at my surroundings like a hunter stalking its prey. It's more endearing than worrisome, I suppose, but I do hope she doesn't strike at anyone when she's looking like that. For some reason, she's oddly possessive of me.

In any case, if any of you happen to see any post addressed to me, can you stop by my office and hand it to me? I also need to buy a better perch for my owl, my shoulder is starting to hurt. I've been calling her "Red" for a few days now, but I don't want to continue my grandfather's trend of naming birds after colors. Do any of you have any suggestions?

[[ooc; if anyone wants to say they got some of Tobi's mail, feel free! It's probably all junk, bills, or letters from old co-workers who take pity on him. Unless you want to plot amoungst yourselves and have letters you might have sent Thobari end up in someone else's hands.]]

Okay. Where the fuck is that bastard Yukimi. Swear to God, he is dead.

[ the sound of someone knocking on a door can be heard. Slamming on it, really. ]

If you know where he is, talk to me. Otherwise, stay the hell away. I don't wanna deal with any of you little snots.

[ more banging, followed by muffled cries. ]

Oh, and not that any of you idiots care, but I think the nice guy got himself locked in the closet. Hah, what else is new.

[Private]
Another tragedy and I... I did what I could but... when they started casting killing curses, I... froze up. In all these years, I haven't changed at all, have I? How is it that I am still so naïve?
[/Private]

I'll be in the hospital until further notice. It's going to take a group effort to keep Yukimi in his room. If he tears open his wound again, it's only going to make things worse. [strikes hackable to friends] Although I haven't been here long enough to know the victims of the attack personally, my heart goes out to their family and friends. Although losing a loved one can sometimes seem unbearable, it's important to keep moving forward and living for their sake.

To my students, I'm afraid I won't have time to correct your assignments quite yet, so if you haven't handed them in, feel free to do so. You have until the end of the month. I'll likely be heading back to Hogwarts once this is over to do what I can for those students who are unable to return home, so sending it by owl is fine.

[Hackable to staff, though by mistake]
What happened was unforgivable. I know the casualties were minimal all things considered, but...! There's no reason why anyone should have had to die in the first place! I should have done more.... I failed again.

((This post is slightly ooc. Behind the cut, students will see their grades, and their grades only. If they have a note next to them, they will see that too.))

Alright, everyone! I have your grades here. I'll be sharing them with you each week so you can track your progress. If you have any problems with the grade you received, or think that I could be mistaken about something, please bring it up with me or Maron after class so we can schedule something.

( Gryffindors )

( Hufflepuffs )

Remember everyone, what matters in this class is that you do your best and remain engaged in the material. You won't all be Aurors someday, but that shouldn't make our class any less important!

In the meantime, I'll keep you posted on when the next assignment is due.

[Private\\Easily Hackable to Staff]
I'm... not going to address the strings that showed up for Valentine's Day. I have a feeling I know who they were connected to.
[/Private]

As if returning to Hogwarts and taking that wretched train weren't difficult enough, why am I fifteen again?! It's not exactly a time I want to revisit... Try as I might, I can't seem to undo whatever spell is causing this. There don't seem to be any other side-effects, so I'll stop by the hospital later, perhaps.

I-in any case, hello everyone! My name is Thobari Durandal Kumohira. You don't have to worry about the Kumohira part, since that's a bit hard to say. Just Professor Thobari or Professor Durandal is fine. And I'll just get this out of the way by adding that my name is pronounced Tobari, as if the "h" wasn't there. Just like the Thames, get it?

I may not look it right now, but I assure you, I am your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. To my students; I'm certain that this year you'll learn plenty of new things, and it's my duty to make sure that you make the best of this term. So no slacking off just because I'm new, alright?

To the teachers, I'm honored to be joining a renowned institution such as this and I hope we can work together to make sure our students become outstanding wizards and witches.

[Filtered to staff]
And please don't listen to anything Yukimi says about me. He's a wonderful man, [the ink here looks especially dark] don't get me wrong, but he and I were... friends back in high school, so his opinion may be a bit... biased.
[/filtered to staff]

[[ooc; replies will be done with runstoireland, since Thobari looks 15]]