"Right again." A few of these students were on a roll. She didn't make an attempt at what she was likely to do if she found herself in the situation he presented but the information she was provided was valuable if not standard and with as many first years as there currently were, it would do them some good to get in this sort of knowledge while they still could.



Aaaand the voice was back to normal. Good. He wouldn't have to worry about the poor boy hurting his throat in a vain effort to pull attention from himself. The lot of them had been out of their minds the night before. No one could hold things against him personally.

"Also correct." He replied, paying keen attention to the surroundings. It wasn't because he thought something would jump out at any second, no, he knew when things would jump out. He just didn't want to end up tripping and bringing down a few of them with him inevitably. "It can be a real conflict for some. The desire to help versus the nagging feeling it's only a trap. Not being able to shake that you may have left someone in danger."



"Very true." Not the point he'd been hoping to bring up with the hinkypunks but an interesting one nontheless. "There's a bit of debate there, one I confess I haven't followed too closely regarding the classification of hinkpunks. They're a little harder to nail down. Between terrain and their own form, they can also be a little difficult to tie get a ton of concrete data on." Not from a lack of trying and he didn't suspect they'd stop trying any time soon. The brilliance of research.



...

....

"I.......that's....not where this is going." He almost stopped for that answer, almost did, but remembered the long string of students coming up behind him in the dark with nothing but his lantern for light. A sudden stop may have been quite jarring. "Hopefully you've been paying attention to what your classmates have said. It will prove useful later on."



"Keep the discussion to the topic at hand." He chided, raising the lantern to ensure he got a good look of the bushes he was about to push through. The man had been patiently waiting for the girl to end her conversation she'd started when she arrived but it didn't seem to be happening, so he would end it himself. "Save the non-class chatter for after you've left here."

Wasn't that hard, he promised. "But you're correct. Lumos duo is a good way of stopping them in their tracks for the very reason you've mentioned."



Well.

Yes.

"All wizards should have their wand with them at all times." Yes, he was aware he'd told them all to keep theirs holstered, but it was still with them, ready for use once the time came. "There are a few forgetful ones among us and I have no doubt they have a harder life." He'd accept that answer.



Stuck in the mud, yes. He didn't give verbal comment to the girl's words for the fact he'd already addressed it several times when her classmates brought it up but he would take a crack at the later statement.

"Sticking to the path you were originally on is a sound decision." He agreed. "I would like you to, however, consider a scenario in which the bog is known for lanterns that help travellers. Ones you're meant to be following." He wasn't saying she was wrong, he was simply asking her to consider another angle now that she'd already thought of one.



"Merlin, I thought I was morbid." Jagged rocks and broken necks...and now praying for swift and painless death.

Circe.

"I don't recommend sitting and waiting for death to take you if you've got a choice. This lesson exists to ensure that should you encounter one of these things--or several--you'll be able to handle it."



"You too." He'd already cautioned the older Gryffindor this one had been talking to and now he would caution her. Nearly to the mini activity and they were both still chatting. "Save the non-class chatter for the corridors. I need you focused on the lesson and not distracting those around you."

She was doing herself no favours not answering the question. It made the chatter more an issue for him. Wasn't hard to answer what she'd do in the given scenario. Not knowing about hinkypunks was one thing but the other question was entirely open ended and required no prior information.

Perhaps if she hadn't been talking, she could have thought up an answer.



If he weren't so busy trudging through the terrain and distracted by other answers, he may have noticed the lack of response. As it so happened, he didn't know the boy and therefore didn't miss his response when none came. Nothing in his mind alerted him to the boy's verbal absence.

He continued walking.



Same thing with this one. Distracted as he was and as unfamiliar as he was with the students, there was no way he'd notice the absence of a response from a student or two.

For now, it went right under the radar.



"Interesting." The man was half distracted while he looked both to the left then the right. They would be approaching their destination soon. He...just had to remember which way it was. "What happens if you get taken by whatever lured you away and aren't able to double back?"

Believe it or not, the man was genuinely curious about this. Did the boy have a backup plan? Was there another idea zipping around inside that head? Everyone needed a backup plan.



Blink. Blink.

Surprised? Something inside him told him he shouldn't be. After the shoe comment, he had the feeling that this was really as good as it was going to get with this one. "....right."

He wasn't above remedial lessons. Keep this up and she'd find herself in some with a certain Slytherin Prefects.

TREES.



"Good thinking, I'd say." It seemed a bit sketchy to follow unknown lights off into the darkness. "You never know what's lurking. Now that we've established that, I'd like you to consider a scenario in which the bog is known for having lights to guide travellers. A situation in which you already expect there to be lights."



Malachi was absentmindedly nodding along to this ones information on hinkypunks. So far, it was spot on, the sort of thing he hoped the first years were listening to. The man was about to reply, more or less letting him know he was correct but that question took him aback.

The Headmaster turned to look back at the students on impulse, trying in vain to catch the face of whoever had just asked the question. Didn't take long for him to realize how impossible it was.

Not wanting to start tripping over things, he faced forward once more. "Well....technically turning around and running back home is an option--but not today in this lesson. Do it on your own time and if you do, ensure you're faster than whatever may be hunting you." Solid advice. He was welcome.



Well at least this turning around didn't involve outright running...and if it did, at least he didn't say it.

"You could turn and head back in the direction you came, yes. That's also a good point." One he hoped the others were listening to. "Being out of their range of fire significantly lowers the level of danger." Hinkypunks, once they couldn't get to you, actually weren't that bad.



"It's always a good idea having your own light source in dark situations." This one lantern was all they had for the moment but things would be changing soon enough. "That said, now I want you to consider something your classmate mentioned earlier. Using your own light giving you unwanted attention and allowing predators to know exactly where you are."

She wasn't wrong, it was simply good to consider all angles.



"What happens if there's no leader, or worse, you're the leader and everyone else is depending on you?" Stopping was an option too, yes and not a bad one depending on the situation and how much danger was actually present.

Just something for the boy to think about. Couldn't always depend on someone else to determine your fate.



That was....an interesting response. Almost like the universe was having an extra little laugh at his expense with the mention of trees once more. At least it wasn't the Slytherin Prefect this time.

He could live with this.

"No need to apologize for answering a question." It was hardly talking his ear off. The man had ran into a Gryffindor on the way down to breakfast and now knew the true meaning of having his ear talked off. This was nothing by comparison. "You bring up a good point, climbing a tree aside. Sometimes the better option is taking cover and waiting for the worst of the danger to pass." Good job.



"Isolation. Yes. Just the thing I'm hoping we can avoid on this little excursion and something I hope your classmates are actively trying to avoid." He didn't need anyone getting lost and left behind. They wouldn't be hard to find once the charm ended but they'd miss out on a whole lot before then and he'd have to do something about it after.



The voice was familiar. He couldn't see, not when his back was to them and his eyes fixed on the near darkness but that voice.

Ah. Monster in a portal kid.

"Good. Constant vigilance. You can't just follow strangers into bogs. Most people have no business being in bogs to begin with. Granted, some may mean well, but there's always a chance they may not. This isn't to say you should spend your life being paranoid but rather that every decision needs to be carefully thought through." And this one already seemed....a little....paranoid.

Monster in a portal.

"On the flip side of that, it could be someone tired of losing travellers to the hinkypunks in the area. Someone dedicated to helping others move through safely. You never really know."



Again, the Headmaster found himself nodding along as a student spoke. Mentally, he was going through the information offered, double verifying it in case there was anything that needed correcting while half his attention remained on figuring out the path they needed to take.

So far so good.

Head Boy, right? Sounded like him from his limited interactions thus far. "Disarming is a good first option. Remove their means of hurting you and you've effectively removed the threat. That said, I'd also like you to consider the flip side of many lanterns." Because there were always many sides to anything. "What if the lanterns were intended for travellers? To keep them on the right path while going through the bog because of a string of hinkypunk attacks in the past?"

Just so they left no stones unturned.



"That's a good point to throw into the mix." He said, slowing all the more as he was sure they were coming up to where they needed to be. "No, they don't force you to follow them, it's entirely your choice."



Back on feet, huh?

Malachi would pretend he never heard that part. "If it's a path you've taken before, it's fair to stick to it. The bog isn't likely to have changed by much since your last visit." Pause. "What about if you've never been there before and don't know what path is the "safe" one?"

Bonus question for her to think about.



Okay. Sure. He'd take it. "Knowing your surroundings is very important, yes." Yep, they were definitely getting close. "It goes back to the scenario I gave a few of your classmates. What happens if the lanterns were actually put there to help? Knowing the setup, you'll already know the answer to this." In the end, a useful response.

Then she'd be able to make an informed decision.



In the dark, facing the other direction while students offered up responses, a few missing ones here and there went completely unnoticed. Her tripping went equally unnoticed.



And another that fell off the Headmaster's radar. The silence was easily missed when there were others offering up answers and the man was actively trying to remember the route they needed to take.



"Correct." Oh, oh this was where they were going. It was just up ahead. "They don't have much going for them physically." Just wisps of smoke and a lantern.



Another out of the box suggestion, sure. Here information was spot on too. It told him at least some of the students were keeping up with their readings.

"Didn't say you had company to go linking hands." At the same time, he hadn't said there weren't. It was a good time to start considering things from all angles. "What if you didn't have anyone to tug you back or to tug on so they don't go?"



To the point. He liked that. "Agreed. If the lights are grunting and making other strange noises, it's safe to say it's not just a harmless lantern put there to keep you safe." Which negated the scenario he'd given to a few of the other students.



Another one for running. He supposed there was no shame in running, especially alone in a bog where no one could see you running so sure, he'd take it. "A little suspicion can carry you a long way." He agreed. Honestly, with all he'd heard about Hogwarts, he could understand varying levels of suspicion among the students.

"The key is to not be too suspicious and thus irrational. Always a balance to be struck."



Malachi nodded to her points on the hinkypunk. More or less in line with what her classmates had said.

"In response to you saying you'll make your own light, I'd also like you to consider the position of sitting duck you'll make yourself once you have a light going that alerts all predators and creatures to where you are."

Just to give her another side of the coin to consider.



Similar to the last response but this one was more about immobilizing them. "That's a viable option, true. Once you get them out of the way, you're free to fumble around the bog for the entire night without fear--of them anyway." Still plenty other creatures in a bog.