Gaston's attempts to stop the monster had been futile. All he could do was watch in horror as the creature vanished farther into the castle, silently berating himself for not reacting faster. he was so focused on the monster that he didn't register anything else going on around him until he heard Kay saying his name and... his heart sank as he saw Rose with her. He nodded slightly as the muggle studies professor voiced exactly what he was thinking. "Y-yes, go! I... I'll catch up," he said, though he was unable to keep his voice from breaking. The look on Rose's face was breaking his heart. He knew how she felt; the thought of that creature hurting her was... No! He couldn't let himself think about that, not now. His students needed him to stay calm.

It was taking every bit of restraint he had not to go rushing after them, but... He couldn't leave until he knew Mr. Salander was going to be alright. Blink, blink. The Frenchman's bright blue eyes widened as Miss Summers asked if there was more than one monster. The thought hadn't occurred to him until just now! Despite his panic, he still managed to give the girl a small smile as she found Mr. Salander's wand. "Thank you, Miss Summers," he said.

Now where was River?! Gaston peered down the corridor, searching for the healer, but he didn't have long to wait. He took an automatic step back as River approached, even before the other man asked for space. He nodded in reply to the healer's words, giving him a quick look of gratitude. His hand tightened around his wand, and as he turned away he overheard a bit of River and Mr. Salander's conversation. At least now he knew only one monster had escaped! He looked back for a moment, giving the prefect a reassuring smile. "Healer Reed's right," he said, and his expression hardened as he added, "That thing picked the wrong place to go rummaging for a snack!" And he turned on his heel and was gone.