Originally Posted by MadMadamMalfoy

Seeing Miss Kettleburn cry like this was making Gaston sad. He cared for all his students as if they were his own children, and it broke his heart to see them upset! He wanted to give the poor girl a hug, but he thought that would be inappropriate and refrained. He racked his brains for something to say to make her feel better. "i'm so sorry, Charlotte," he said, not even trying to disguise the sadness in his own eyes. "I can't even begin to imagine how horrible it must've been for you to see that!" He couldn't blame her for being upset. He didn't want to know what he'd be like if Rose disappeared!

He sighed. "The best thing you can do for Henry now is try to stay calm," he said with a forced but encouraging smile. "you'll be better able to look for him with a clear head. You think you can do that?" He knew she could; there was a reason she'd been placed in Gryffindor!

Gaston listened carefully to Charlotte's answer to his question, trying to riddle out what that hole was, and he couldn't help but overhear the Kennings' conversation. He thought Miss Kenning was being a little callous, but he decided to let it slide... for now, but if she upset Charlotte worse it would be a different story. Mr. Kenning's words earned a polite nod, however. "Thank you for the vote of confidence, Mr. Kenning," he said.

Now he was really worried! He was relieved that nobody else had been sucked into... whatever that thing was, but the more he heard, the more it sounded like another portal. He turned his attention back to Miss Kettleburn as she was practically begging to go and look for Henry now. "Of course," he replied. "Where do you think we should look first?" He already had an idea what she was going to say, but he just wanted to make sure they were on the same page.