Walking the grounds and their many pathways after dark was a habit born from Celestia's days as a Gryffindor student here. She was always determined to seek adventure, and she had never been able to truly think closed up in the castle. With the end of term approaching fast, Celestia had a great deal of thoughts swirling around in her mind. Honestly, the loops that her thoughts followed were almost enough to make her start believing in wrackspurts.

She had been aimlessly wandering the grounds for at least a couple of hours by now and so she had no knowledge of the horrible events transpiring at the lake. In fact, the night seemed as ordinary as any could at Hogwarts -- until she smelled the decay. Good Merlin, had something died around here? It was completely, totally irrational -- surely creatures died on these grounds all the time -- but a sense of fear slid down her back, giving her the sensation that someone had dropped an ice cube down the back of her robes. Celestia took two more normal strides before she was running, running as fast as she could towards that smell -- just to be sure, just to soothe her own paranoia...

She was still a little ways away from the group of students (Derf, Abra, Bel) when she heard one of the boys scream out the word "inferi".

No. That wasn't possible. He couldn't be right; how in Merlin's name could Inferi get onto the grounds? As Celestia closed the distance between herself and the small group of students, however, the smell seemed to thicken the air. Soon she was right beside them, struggling not to pant too much, and feeling her eyes widen to the size of large dinner plates as she took in the rotting flesh; the Inferi seemed to have come straight out of one of her nightmares of old. The professor allowed her eyes to quickly rove over the scene, and she was able to see Julie approaching the group. She couldn't see Skylar from this vantage point, and hadn't arrived in time to hear the girl's shout.

Celestia drew her wand and moved to stand in front of Derf, Abra, and Bel. These evil things were not going to get these kids on her watch! "Wands at the ready, all of you!" she told them steadily. "Be ready to cast Incendio if they get by me..." She wondered if she would do better to send the students off to hide -- but where would they hide out in the open like this? The forest was never safe, and the castle... Surely the Inferi hadn't reached the castle.

The Transfiguration professor crouched in a defensive stance, still in front of the group of students, and prepared to conjure as much fire as she could muster once the Inferi were close enough.