He sighed, rubbing his temples. "You should have asked. He's probably just as misinformed as everyone else, whoever 'he' is. I mean, what if he thinks I'm with Allegra?"

MERLIN! He was being such a...such a MAN! Just like Forrester had been, with the romance novel remark. Her hand started itching again and she quickly shoved them into the pocket of her robes. She was not going to resort to violence again.

"That's not the reason I'm annoyed, Armand..." she turned, looking up at him now, "I'm annoyed because you allowed those rumours. Couldn't you have just...I don't know...put a stop to it?"

Because she believed he could do that if he wanted to. He could do anything he set his mind to.

He sighed. "Truth does not seem to spread as quickly as rumor. People want to believe this, for some reason. And as much as I reassured Marco, who seems to be pushing this the most, he has not backed down from the idea that I am going out with both a student and my cousin." He looked around, wondering who could be listening. "Come on, let's talk about this elsewhere."

Natasha pouted and nodded, "Fine, but don't think you can get out of this easily, Armand Erikson."

She tucked her hand into the crook of his elbow anyway. Just because she missed him...a little.

He eyed her as he led her away. "Just how is this my fault again?"

Allegra walked into her office and waited for the trailing Cassandra to take a seat in her office. She put on her bowler derby and sat behind her desk. This was going to be a fiery conversation, that was for sure.

Cassandra walked in after DeLuca and looked at the chair the professor wanted her to sit in... Grand... this meant the conversation wasn't going to be a short one. She stood still in her seat and watched the professor dawn a hat. Odd choice... for a female and an Italian...

"Professor, I assure you, my insults, as well as my housemates towards myself, were only done as part of the assignment. I have a good deal of respect for little Excelsior Black." She wouldn't say the same about Xana...

But the petite Slytherin girl knew this wasn't about the assignment... It was about Erikson... DeLuca had said as much in the class. She had said she knew something and that she wanted to discuss it... this didn't bode well.

"This has absolutely nothing to do with your insults and you know it. This is about Professor Erikson and the rumor that went around that I was slipping him love potion into his drinks. I know you started it and I would love to know what gave you the idea that I would do that in the first place!" Allegra looked at the girl waiting for a response. "Why would I do that to my own cousin? That's incest and there's enough confusion in my family tree without adding incest to it!"

Cassandra looked down to her hands. They were gripping her skirt tightly in her fists. She felt angry with herself for insulting DeLuca's intelligence by pretending not to know what the professor was talking about.

She mustered up all the courage she could and sat upright, "Professor, when I came to you to discuss my new runes, I heard Professor Erikson discussing with you how the whole school may find out about your relations and that he would be in trouble if Blay-" She stopped and closed her eyes taking a breath to steady herself, "Excuse me, Professor Blaylock, found out. I realize now it wasn't as I understood it."

Cassandra could feel her heart in her throat. She wished she was holding the Algiz rune right now... "Professor DeLuca," she continued. "I assure you, I spoke to a couple of friends, maybe not the best ones, about it, and we were trying to figure out how a man so in love with his wife," she swallowed as if in pain for saying it, "would be unfaithful. All we could come up with was Amortentia... and seeing as we'd all noticed you were supplying him coffee, it was putting two and two together."

Cassandra breathed again, she wasn't going to show weakness and cry, but as much as she hated doing it, she knew she owed the Professor an apology at the very least. "Professor, Professor Erikson told me the truth, and I feel horrible. I have the utmost respect for you and your classes, and I have not shown that for you... for that, I am truly sorry."

"You thought automatically that relations meant that I was being a seductress? Oh dear I forget how a teenager's mind can automatically assume things like that." Allegra shook her head and looked at Cassandra. "I can see that this is a difficult conversation for you. Do I frighten you Miss Trelawney?" She took a sip of coffee and threw the bowler hat off. "Is that better? I forget how intimidating a bowler derby can be to some people."

Cassandra breathed in and gave a weak smile. "I'm not frightened, just... intimidated." She was thankful she removed the hat...

"I was wrong to assume that, I know that now." She hated being wrong, "I misunderstood and jumped to conclusions. But that is not what I am sorry for. Anyone could have made that leap, what I am sorry for is telling a few friends. That was childish. I should have come to you and cleared it up..." She should have... Cassandra wasn't intimidated by professors, DeLuca was the exception.

"That's what I was going for. Intimidation is very powerful if used properly. All of this will be explained in my classroom very very soon. You should have tried to clear this up with myself before telling your friends but you've learned your lesson. It's wrong to start a rumor based on an assumption. I'm glad you have learned your lesson and since you have, I'm not going to punish you for it." Allegra nodded to the girl and offered her a cup of the infamous coffee that she assumed has amortensia in it. "Now how about that cup of coffee then?"

Cassandra nodded. No Detention? She was sure she wasn't going to get off scott free this time. But this had been hard on her.

She reached over the desk and took the cup of coffee. She held it with both hands and it warmed up her hands, which were now drained of blood and cold. "Thank you, Professor." She took a sip and tried to gage DeLuca, "Did you happen to tell Professor Erikson who spread the rumor?" She asked looking at her over her mug.

"I don't believe I told Professor Erikson about who started the rumor. You have nothing to worry about there. I'm going to leave the decision up to you. You will be the one to decide if he gets to know who started this mess." Allegra stretched back and continued prying at the girl. Cassandra was one of the more interesting students who seemed to be very close to her dear cousin. She wondered if Natasha approved of the closeness the two had. Nat wouldn't question him for the life of her, though. Not when it came to a student he was close to.

"He asked me to help fix the rumor when he told me about what your relation was. I am working on it. If it would be alright with you," Cassandra took another sip of the coffee... it was very good. Swallowing it she added "Preferisco che lui non sappia."



ooc: translation: I prefer he not know.

Allegra raised a brow and placed her cup of coffee down. Shaking her head, she got up out of her chair and walked over to the picture hanging on the wall of her, her father, and her grandfather. Three generations of mafia bosses in one picture. She ran her fingers along the frame of the picture and turned back to Cassandra. "Cassandra he's going to find out either way. I think it's best that he finds out from you. It shows that you can face him after you've done something wrong. It's hard to admit you're wrong, but eventually we all do things that are considered wrong." Allegra smiled and turned back to the portrait. "Tre generazioni delle sporgenze della mafia in un'immagine. Ho venuto a mancare la mia famiglia insegnando preferibilmente?" She was in her own little world, completely unaware that another person was in the room while she spoke. The picture brought back memories of terrible things she had seen but she loved her family dearly.

OOC: Translation of the sentence: Three generations of mafia bosses in one picture. Have I failed my family by teaching instead?

Cassandra sighed... great. She knew DeLuca was right...

She watched DeLuca get lost in her memories and she, at the risk of getting in trouble again, answered, "Both are positions of power professor, your family should be proud of you." She had heard rumors of the professors involvement in organized crime, but nothing was ever confirmed.

Cassandra wasn't shocked or scared to find out about DeLuca. Her father had dealing with various factions of them, and he never seemed too concerned. Then again, the Italian man owned half the shops on Nocturn Alley...

"I hate to cut this short but I need to go send an owl off to someone. Let's get out of here." Allegra walked out of her office with an owl to send off to her cousin. She was smiling because the last letter he sent was so sweet. He seemed like he really missed being around her and Armand and Natasha.

Cassandra exited the office with the professor.

________________________________________________
Some time later
________________________________________________

Cassandra knocked on the door. She was a bit more nervous with DeLuca's office... she'd escaped detention once... she didn't think she could have done it again. Not with her... "Xana... check the door, see if it's locked..." She said. Better her fingerprints than mine...

Xana sensed Cassandra's nervousness, though she didn't understand the reason for it. Maybe Trelawney knew something about this professor she didn't. Hm.

She tested the door-- locked. She pulled out her pocket knife and, just as she had at the other office, she popped the lock open with ease.

"Shall we?"

Cassandra looked around for 'witnesses.' The coast was clear.

She nodded to Xana, "Come on, the faster we get out the better!" Cassandra shuddered as she thought of the bowler hat...

"Agreed." She shot streamers up from her wand, decorating with extreme efficiency, hanging the banner to match what Trelawney had done previously.

"Let's go..."

Cassandra entered the room and saw the bowler hat on the desk. She breathed. She tooke her want and started with her adorning charms, decorating the office with streamers and ribbons of green and silver.

Cassandra kept looking behind her... then to the bowler hat. The woman was unpredictable. She was the only professor with an autolock on her door, and after what she discussed in class, who would blame her.

Cassandra laid out the banner above her desk that read, 'Slytherin House would like to thank you for a wonderful term!'

"Xana," she whispered, "Do you have it?" she asked nervously.

Xana nodded. She waved her wand and summoned up Deluca's gift-- a gift bag of Lavazza Italian espresso coffee, tied with a green silk bow edged in silver, and two huge cappucino mugs of matching green and silver. The attached card read simply, "With thanks from Slytherin House."

"Shall we go?" Trelawney's nervous demeanor was starting to rub off on her.

Cassandra nodded. "Lets go down to check Dresden's office..." she said as they left hearing the door auto lock behind her.