After managing to make himself feel worse and worse for all sorts of reasons that he was, by this point, refusing to even think about, Toby was focusing on something else entirely. In previous years he'd gotten better about not putting walls up, and dealing with things in the way he'd been since been taught, but it was becoming increasingly clear that the old ways were the best ways. Partly because he'd realised he was dangerously close to crying in the middle of the class, and if THAT ever happened he would drop out of school that very same day, and to heck with NEWTs or what his parents had to say about it.

So the walls had gone up, and Toby sat there with an uncharacteristically blank expression on his face, pushing all that negative energy down down down, except the happy energy wasn't coming to replace it like it was SUPPOSED to, so the negativity was sneaking back anyway. Now it was getting frustrating, and it made Toby nervous. He WASN'T a negative person, not under normal circumstances, and yet here he was, being just that. Conjuring a patronus had been like... a question he didn't need answered, regarding things. But one that he now felt like he had the answer to, and... No. Nope. Ignoring it. Pushing it all away. Not happening. Conceal don't feeeeeeeel. Don't let them knoooooooooow.

... ahem.

Toby had been hoping against hope that Professor Dakest would call an end to the lesson soon, even though the big walls there were obviously hiding something relevant to the remainder of the class time. Obviously something they'd need to use a patronus for, too. So when the next activity was introduced, well...

The labyrinth hadn't sounded SO bad when Dakest mentioned just getting through it, and then the dark passage, 'cause you could just use Lumos for that. But then the word 'Dementor' was mentioned, and any possibility of Toby going in there was immediately snuffed out, regardless of the rest of Dakest's words. No. No. Not happening. No. He didn't care if he was being a literal anti-Hufflepuff today, what with not even trying and with being all... whatever... Toby was not going any place where there would be anything resembling a Dementor. Not a chance, not today, not ever.

He cast a look towards the door. He could just... leave. Just go and not hang around here and go back to his dormitory and hide under his bed for a few days. Was there any point in staying? Because he wasn't willing to attempt to practice either... No... no, he should stay, it would be really rude to just leave, especially when Professor Dakest was turning out to be a real awesome professor. He couldn't, wouldn't, disappoint him more than he likely already had.

Toby would just... watch the others and look like he was thinking of a memory. Or keep taking that break, mhmm. He stayed sat where he was, and left his wand undrawn.