"Someone slipped you a love potion," Rae said apologetically. "Ari just gave you the antidote. So... you got cookies at the Hog's Head..." She seemed thoughtful. "Who gave them to you?"

"I..love...slipped...what?" He blinked a couple times, they were kidding, right? From the looks on their faces, they were not. "Oh man...uhm...who gave them to me?" He furrowed a brow again, trying to think. "It was a girl...a young adult...she was oddly cleaner than the whole bar itself. I went in and only ordered a coffee...and she came over with a tray of a firewhiskey and the cookies saying that I ordered them."

His head hit the floor, as he was frustrated with what happened, "of course...me being me...I couldn't turn the cookies away. Besides, I felt bad that she had done all that work...it only seemed like a nice thing to do. So much for that..."

"Yes," Rae glanced at Ari again before looking back at Neo. "Would you recognize her if you saw her again?"

Jillian fell silent. The man couldn't remember a single thing! Honestly, this magic stuff was a bit scary sometimes. And she was in the middle of one strange story! This'll be an exciting report to her parents. She could see the conversation now. So, Jillian, how was your first year at Belle's? her mother would ask. Oh fine, I got caught up in this strange scenario where a man got caught sneaking in the school, tied-up, then questioned because he was apparently under love potion. she would reply casually and her mother would roll her eyes and say something about children's imagination. Why do grown-up think we make this stuff up? This is a world of magic--anything can happen!

When she heard Constantine say something about cookies from the Hogs Head, she quickly made a mental not. Note to self:never eneter that pub when going into Hogsmeade.

He nodded his head as he looked back and forth between Ari and Rae, "yes. I might be able to. There should actually be half a cookie left in my cloak...if it's worth anything...like burning..."

"There you are!" she exclaimed and rushed over to Numel, embracing her tightly before letting her go. "Look what happened to me Ariana! Can you believe it? That witch broke my nose and then a student fixed but, I wanted you to do it because you are my best friend and the most amazing healer I have ever met. An amateur touched my broken nose!! I must be seen immediately!" she animated explained to Numel as if they had been the best of friends for years and years.

Neo's blood ran cold at the site of the Ministry Official. Oh this was not good...not good at all. His eyes darted from between Ariana and this woman, doing his best not to make a sound. Don't draw attention... She appeared to be too hysterical anyways about her nose than to notice there was a male in an all girl's school.

Rae stepped between Melita and Neo, but her attention was on him. "You just sit tight, and we'll make sure you get your chance to point out the culprit." Rae couldn't believe what Ari had suggested. Cassandra was a sweet, albeit intense, girl.

He nodded; speaking of tight...He spoke in a low voice as he squirmed a little again, "Are the ropes still needed? I swear, I won't run...or...replace it with something else that's not cutting off my circulation?"

"Sorry," she cut the ropes with a twitch of her wand. "I forgot."

"I have your butterbeer Professor Mel-" Cassandra started to say as she burst into the office but then froze at the site.

Melita hugging Numel, the MALE groundskeeper all tied up and the Headmistress...

Not. Good.

Cassandra held the butterbeer tightly in her hands as she stared at The Headmistress...

Say something! Anything!

"Professor Lainey left..." She finally blurted out.

"Thank you," he said softly, rubbing his arms where the ropes had dug into his skin. Ow...he must have really been crazy for the ropes to have gotten that tight; he sighed lightly and sat himself up, checking to make sure that he hadn't obtained any more injuries.

And then he froze at the sound of the new voice in the room. A recognizable voice. He looked up to find the source of the voice and he saw her. He got to his feet, his face covered in unbelievable shock as he looked at her.

"You."

Jillian looked at the newcomer. It was their Potions teacher who also happened to be someone sent by the Ministry. Uh oh. What was she going to do when she notices Constantine?

Then another person entered--a Slytherin. This night was certainly an odd one. What was even more odd was how Constantine reacted when he saw the girl.

"You recognize her?" Jillian asked the man.

Rae took a step toward Cassandra to stop her, but the girl's words suddenly sunk in. "Professor Lainey left where?" Oh, please to Merlin... not the school. Not again. Rae couldn't do this without her again.

Everything was happening so fast. Rae started talking to Conny and then Melita barging in. She had been acting really weird lately too. Granted Ari had had very few contacts with the woman so maybe she was just one of those overly friendly type people. And then Cassandra showed up ...and Conny's reaction to her. Ari had hoped she was wrong about the suspicion....she still hoped she was wrong.

"Sophie I'm very sorry she broke your nose." Ari gave the woman a sympathetic look and patted her back a little awkwardly before being released. She gave the nose a quick look over. "It is actually a very good job. I'm impressed with whoever fixed it. You should be fine now."

Ari turned her attention to Conny. "Um could I see the cookie that's left? I can run tests and figure out what ingredients are in it and if it was in fact cookies that contained the Amortencia?" She looked to Rae but Cassandra...well the headmistress Cassandra was looking a bit distraught.

"No, no, no... It's not fixed. I'm ill. I'm very very ill and need your UNDIVIDED attention!" she insisted. "You don't need them. We could... give each other manicures and.... watch the sunset with popcorn and cookies... Don't worry about Bertie."

It dawned on Jillian that whatever was in those cookies had affected the Potions Master as well.

"I--I think Professor Melita needs some of that...er, delicious beverage you served Professor Masterson over there a while ago, Nurse Numel." Jillian said, trying to manipulate the situation. Maybe to get the Potions Master to her right senses as fast as possible and agree to drinking whatever the Nurse gave Constantine.

He looked back at the girl again, eyeing her cautiously. Seriously, where had she come from? Nodding, he turned back to Ari.

Reaching into his cloak pocket, his eyes still fixed on the girl, he pulled out the other half of the cookie. He was holding back the urge to finish eating it, the acorn smell was too inviting! "Here you go," he said, handing it to her. His mind was trying to imagine the girl in the barmaid clothing and she definitely fit the description.

"She's gone..." She said and then looked to Melita. "Professor Melita was being... unkind... and professor Lainey... assulted her. And then she left... the school. Headmistress... she's gone."

Her eyes tried not to wander to the man in the girls school, and she kept her head down... why couldn't she have transfigured her face...

"Thank you." She took the cookie from him and looked at it. It certainly looked like the same ones. Ari looked at Melita and gave the woman a smile. Perhaps she could help.

"Those all sound like lovely ideas. I was actually if perhaps you could help me with something. Does this cookie look familiar to you?" Maybe if Sophie could identify it then it would be more evidence. She looked over at Trell. Something was definitely up but she let Cassandra ...and Cassandra talk about Lainey's assault and awolness.

Ari gave the girl a weird look. "I don't know...we'll see." She smiled. Though perhaps if these were the cookies that Cassandra made gave to Conny...Melita had been helping...maybe she was infected too? It was all getting to be very confusing for Ariana to take in.

"No. No, no... she's not GONE. Why would she go? She can't..." Rae put her hand to her mouth. Merlin, she was going to faint. No, she was going to die. No Doyle. No Anj. "I need..." She turned and walked into a cot. "I need... no... Not again!"

"Oh, yes. The girls were helping me bake cookies and these were a batch of acorn cookies they were learning on. Des... Des... something gave me a taste of the batter and they were quite yummy but, they wouldn't let me have one of the cookies," she sighed wistfully and reached out for it. "Maybe we could split it?"

Jillian watched the hysterical Headmistress walk into a cot. Acting upon impulse, she quickly comforted the woman.

"Professor Rae? Calm down..." she said walking toward the woman. "I think you'd better sit." She guided the Professor to the sofa she sat on a while ago.

"Desdemonda Abendroth." She said helping the professor with the name unconsciously.

Cassandra walked to her and held her side. "Headmistress, maybe you should sit down." She turned to the nurse. Surely the nurse would put down that bloody piece of cookie and give the Headmistress a pepper-up potion. She helped Rae to sit in the cot she'd bumped into.

Neo stepped in between Melita and Ariana, "Actually, Miss. I really think you shouldn't eat that cookie. It'll be hazardous to your health. Trust me, I should know," he said bitterly, shooting another look at the girl.