It wasn’t long after Gaston posed his question that he saw Miss Diggory’s hand go up. He called on her and listened carefully to her answer, nodding in approval. “Indeed it is possible, Miss Diggory,” he said. “Either of those ideas would be effective – I especially like the one about the mini cat!” He smiled a little as he imagined an animated toy cat in the maze.

Gaston watched as Mr. Kenway led his mouse into the cage with a trail of cheesecake rather than just picking it up and putting it inside. He couldn’t help but smile as he overheard him talking to the mouse, and his smile grew even wider when he heard the boy’s answer to the question. He’d come very close to guessing the spells they’d be doing! “Sound reasoning, Mr. Kenway,” he said.

Miss Velasquez’s hand was the next one Gaston saw, and her answer earned her a beam from the professor. He hadn’t expected a first year to think of the Daydream Charm! “Yes, that’s exactly what the Daydream Charm would do! Good thinking, Miss Velasquez!” he said.

Gaston’s eyes landed on Mr. Carden. The boy was being quiet for now, but that was okay. Maybe he would have something to say later. He gave him an encouraging smile as he waited for more answers to come in.

Gaston was sure it was only a matter of time before someone mentioned something to do with sensory deprivation, and he nodded as Miss Paton named Obscuro. “Yes, obstructing the mouse’s vision would be an effective way to hider its progress. Nicely done, Miss Paton!” he said.

Gaston nodded, smiling a bit at Miss Atwater’s ideas… both of them. “Good ideas, Miss Atwater,” he replied. “As you said, the mouse would still be able to smell the cake - and it could still feel around for it too – but a disillusionment charm would confuse the mouse for at least a few moments.”

Blink, blink. Now here was an answer Gaston hadn’t been expecting! “Well, yes, I suppose that’s one way to hinder the mouse,” he replied with a small smile, trying to hide his surprise. “Very good, Miss Prichard.” That method was a bit cruel for his liking, but no less a correct answer.

Gaston saw Miss Blaze’s hand and called on her next. Her answer was correct, but he wanted to know a bit more about what she had in mind. “That’s true, Miss Blaze,” he replied, nodding. “Did you have a specific illusion in mind to use?”

Poor ickle Emmalyn! Gaston could tell she was trying not to cry, and it was breaking his heart! He wanted to give her a big hug until she felt better, but that would be inappropriate. Understanding dawned on his face when she spoke, and he bent so that his eyes were level with hers. “Shh… please don’t cry,” he said gently, his tone more like that of a father comforting a child than a professor giving a command. He aimed his wand at a small box on his desk and summoned a few tissues for the girl. “I’m not going to take Rose away. The spell I used on her wears off after time, and she’ll turn back into a toy. But if you come see me after class, I’ll put a stronger spell on her so she’ll stay this way. How does that sound?”

He wasn’t sure how or even if she would answer his question, but he was very impressed with what she said. “That’s a very creative answer, Miss Walsh,” he said, “and it would work well!”

Now here was an answer he hadn’t heard yet! Gaston smiled, nodding in reply to Miss Valla. “That’s a good point, Miss Valla,” he said. “Nice job!”

Gaston was slightly concerned as he noticed Miss Reynolds’s frown, but for now, he needed to keep his focus on the question at hand. He gave her a small encouraging smile, nodding approvingly. “Yes! That’s a very creative idea, Miss Reynolds!” he said.

Miss Cambridge’s answer was long the same lines as Miss Reynolds’s, and it too earned an approving smile from Gaston. “Great idea, Miss Cambridge!” he replied. “A constantly changing layout would be challenging for any creature!” Including humans! He almost laughed to himself as that answer reminded him of his first encounter with the moving staircase.

Here was another student on the right track! So it seemed Miss Ben-Ari agreed with Mr. Kenway’s answer. “Yes, that’s correct, Miss Ben-Ari,” Gaston replied with a small knowing smile.

Gaston considered Miss Dixon’s answer, which was really more of a question, for a moment. “There is,” he replied with a small smile. “There are a few ways you could go about that. You could use a spell on the cake itself or magically encase it in a barrier that would stop the scent from spreading through the maze. Or if you really wanted to confuse the mouse, you could use a spell to fill the maze with a different scent that would overpower the cake and make it harder to smell. Very good, Miss Dixon!”

Gaston’s eyes scanned the room for more hands up and landed on Mr. Botros as he spoke up… without raising his hand. He shot him a look as a reminder but didn’t say anything about it. His expression changed to a slight smile as he heard what the boy had in mind. “It could,” he replied, picturing the mirrors described. “It’s entirely possible a mouse could become confused and distracted by seeing its own reflection in the mirrors. Good thinking, Mr. Botros!”

Another mention of sensory deprivation! Miss Botros’s answer got her an approving smile from the professor. “Sensible reasoning, Miss Botros!” he said. “Any form of sensory deprivation is a sure way to cause confusion.”

So Mr. Dooley agreed with Miss Paton, it seemed. Well, Gaston couldn’t blame him; it was a good answer! “Indeed it does,” he replied with a smile. “Very good, Mr. Dooley!”

Gaston was silent for a moment as he envisioned what Miss Primeaux was talking about. She was on the right track, that was for sure! “Those are great ideas, Miss Primeaux,” he said with a smile, “but in order for Colloportus to work, there must be a tangible door in place to close. Our maze has only bare openings in walls, so we would need to create a magical barrier to seal them off.”

Gaston beamed as Miss Holden spoke up. “Yes, an extension charm could work,” he said. “Good work, Miss Holden.” He thought she was done, but then she mentioned Aqua Eructo. The sudden shift in thought caught him slightly off guard, but he nodded nonetheless. “You can, but embedding a charm is a complicated process. It involves not only the spell you intend to put in the object but others to attach it and to make the effects appear in a specific set of circumstances.”

Gaston thought he saw Miss Macindoe’s hand in the air earlier, but when he looked again, it wasn’t there. Now he saw it and called on her. He had to admit, making the mice swim was the most outside-the-box idea he’d heard so far! He beamed. “That’s a very original and well-thought out solution, Miss Macindoe!” he said. “Well done!”

Here was another quiet one. That was okay; there would be plenty of time for Mr. Carter to speak up later on if he felt like it. Gaston gave the boy an encouraging smile before moving on.