Kazimeriz nodded, concerned. She was cursed? "Keep up the good work, Materia. Your healing skills are being put to good use."

If he were Headmaster he would give her a special services to the school, after this was sorted. Oh, if he ran the zoo.

He embraced her, feeling old, so very very old, his hands trembling as he petted her hair like a grandfather comforting a frightened child. "H-" his voice caught in his throat, and he cleared it. "He will live today, Merlin willing. But now my concern is you, Miss Toussaint." He placed two gnarled fingers under her jaw and gently lifted her chin to look at him, so he could see her eyes properly. Cursed? He met her eyes. "Where have you been?" he asked softly, locking eyes with her... hoping she would not comment on the fact that his lashes were momentarily damp with unshed tears of relief.

She breathed a sigh of relief and ignored the weird little flashy crabby thingies that Lina had stuck to her. Celandine tried to find the words and struggled, cringing a little bit even from the pain of thinking them. She needed help to make things clear.

Her eyes were all big and wide and kind of jaded, like she'd not only seen horrible things but finally come to acknowledge that the world wasn't all sunshine and roses as she'd always shown herself to believe.

"F... f-fo-forest." She managed, her eyes flooding with pain. She grasped her throat and shook her head, unable to say more.

It seemed like an eternity before he was relieved in the Entrance Hall, and Vindictus didn't lose any time running up the stairs.

Then he caught Cela hugging, yes HUGGING, Kazimeriz. And it was he whom she sent her scorpion to.

"CELA!"

Kazimeriz furrowed his eyebrows. It was as if speaking on it was being inhibited by something. The curse? Perhaps. He watched her carefully. "Can you speak on how you got there, what you were doing there?"

She was going to pass out with relief. She was.

She shook her head and then nodded bravely. She could, but it hurt. A lot. Like a ripping through her stomach and glass in her throat. She turned to look at Professor Vindictus and brightened. She'd managed to send him a patronus with some stuff. She looked between the two professors hopefully.

Celandine was reassured, and the professors were handling it. "The headmaster said to take the injured students to the headmaster's sitting room so it can act as triage, by the way." And she was off doing her thing again. Once she was sure all was cleared here, she sprinted for the third floor.

ooc: If you were in the corridor and I missed you, and you were unconscious or would have accepted, assume you have a glowing crab on you as well. The unconscious would have a toy blob either green or glowing red. If you wish to have been one of the ones found, please PM me.

"Easy on her, Professor," Vindictus said to Valon and motioned for Cela to come to him. "She sent me a patronus." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a regular sized Honeydukes chocolate bar.

"You are being very courageous, but we need you to be even stronger now. We need to know everything."

Kazimeriz looked to Vindictus. "Maximus... thank goodness." An administrator I can trust. "What do you know of this attack? All Hell has broken loose!" He looked back at Toussaint. "She's carrying a curse, not sure which yet." He reluctantly let the girl go so she could get Maximus' chocolate. Chocolate always helped.

Cela took the chocolate eagerly, almost crying in relief as she shakily attempted to tear into it. She held her fingers up to Kazimeriz. Two fingers. Two curses. She pointed at her throat and then her stomach and then her mouth and then nodded furiously at Professor Vindictus. The patronus had had important stuff in it. She hoped. She'd done her best with it.

She pointed at the ceiling and held up her hand again. Five fingers. Fifth floor. Her eyes widened indicatively. Important.

Vindictus was now talking directly to Kazimeriz. "You're well-versed in oodles of dark arts voodoo and such, so you look at her and figure out -" he paused as he saw Cela hold up two fingers. "Two, is it? Or maybe eleven curses, that she's under."

Kazimeriz analyzed her motions. "Two curses? One affecting speech, one affecting your constitution, perhaps? And... something up... Wait? No, five. Up five.. .Fifth floor? Something about the fifth floor-- " That was where Ancient Runes was... the other students had said something about Alessia... A cold river of dread filled his veins. "What happened -- Maximus, what did her message tell you?"

Finally making it up into the passageway, Sabel paused, holding one hand across his ribs and putting the other on the wall beside him. While he caught his breath, he listened to what everyone was saying, Professor Kazimeriz's words about the fifth floor catching his ears. "Sir, the man ... the barkeeper who came in and had the students defending him...he said he was going to the fifth floor! Someone suggested something about Professor Lupa and her story." He winced, taking in a jagged breath; despite being older, the man sure knew how to run.

Celandine nodded. Two curses!

"There was another one." She held up two fingers again and then made it three, shook her head and shook her hand and flicked her wrist.She'd thrown the other off. That was enough to make her stomach feel like it was trying to tear itself in pieces and she doubled over but continued nodding. And Fifth floor. She nodded faster. "I like runes." She commented and twitched some, but it wasn't taboo enough that it caused any real pain. She nibbled the chocolate. Maybe she could talk about some things... if they weren't related... but make them related?

"I like the class you used to teach." She told Kazimeriz slowly, like she was feeling her way. That was about as close to mentioning dueling that she could get. She bit her lip and looked at Professor Vindictus. Slowly she took the wrapper completely off the chocolate, pointed Jake Upstead's wand at it and the wrapper exploded into bits of confetti. She widened her eyes indicatively and then made a rawr gesture with her fingers and barked. She gave Kazimeriz an apologetic look but hoped they'd put some of it together. "I like broomsticks better than hogs." She managed, having to slump against the wall for support.

Hearing Sabel, Celandine pushed herself up again and nodded furiously, pointing up at the roof again. 5th floor! 5th floor! Or... She looked down speculatively. Didn't Professor Lupa have a... vanishing cupboard! She brightened. They could skip all the imperiused kids if they went through her head of house office! Cela had no idea about any 'story' but she DID know that the bartender was NOT a bartender at all. And that this was all because of professor Lupa. She reached out and tugged a strand of hair from Sabel's head, mimed out a cauldron, dropped the hair into the 'cauldron', mimed stirring it and then mimed 'drinking' it and made faces like it tasted yucky. She pointed at her wrist where a watch would be and then mimed drinking the 'potion' again. Gettit? Polyjuice?

STARE.

The sudden tug to the head was a startling shock that pulled him out of intensely watching Cela. He blinked as she held up a piece of hair and mimicked brewing a potion with it; he was relieved he had shampoed just that morning. His head stung a little with where she had removed the hair, but hey, anything to help.

Frowning, he tried to piece together what she had said. "Something about Hogshead instead of ...the Three Broomsticks? And...people blowing up...dogs? Or...dogs attacking people?" Rwuf rwuf was quite hard to miss in all her guestures and motions.

And then there was the nod at his words about the fifth floor and, or, Professor Lupa and the making of what looked to be a potion...he snapped to attention, his eyes brightening. "Professor Lupa! She's a werewolf! She takes potions to keep herself in check when the transformation comes around. Is that the dogs you were talking about Cela?!" He wasn't sure if that was something he should have blurted out loud, but it was the only thing that made sense. Except that Professor Lupa seemed like such a nice lady; not one to hurt students.

Yes Hogshead!

But Celandine shook her head and did a 'sort of' gesture. She'd meant Polyjuice about the 'bartender' but...

Yes Lupa!

She bit her lip and looked frantically at the professors when Sabel said about the potions that Lupa took to keep herself okay. She held her hands up like she was holding the bars of a cage and then pushed suddenly, like the cage had opened. She gnashed her teeth together and pointed in the direction of the Headmaster's office. Then she frantically pointed up and held her hand up again, five. Fifth floor. She widened her eyes.

"I like astronomy too." She added. It wasn't true, she wasn't a fan of astronomy, but she had liked a certain professor well enough before he'd got on the wrong end of an unforgiveable. She barked again, though really she had no idea if these professors knew about the curse that had been on Lupa's classroom and office the term before, the curse put there by students who had been influenced in the same way as the students this term.

Sabel blinked at her a couple times. He couldn't make up much about what she was trying to show this time and meakly voiced the only idea that came to mind. Cage plus angry teeth plus Headmasters office plus barking equaled..."Former Headmaster Bontecou?"

He remembered rather vividly his talk with Professor Lupa over the runestones and their converstation about the former Headmaster and herself being werewolves. It was a little hard to forget considering he had brought up the possiblity of Headmaster Tate as Dracula and the image of the man in a long black cape had sort of stuck in his mind. Other than that, he had no idea what the girl was saying and glanced at the professors. Something to do with fifth floor and Professor Lupa and werewolf potions; it made about as little sense as things had when they started to get strange.

Someone moved him, and Jake let out another piercing scream. His elbow reeeeeally hurt.

As something was put on his chest, Jake was entirely convinced that it was something that would create more harm than good, having watched too many weird TV shows. He wasn't able to protest, but he panicked, breathing going faster and pulse positively racing.

And... they wanted him to drink something?

Yes, Jake had deduced that he was, in fact, 'Jahhhke'.

He wouldn't drink it. Wouldn't. Couldn't...

"Jahhhke..." he said in protest. Then, "Kaaahhzz..."

He didn't like this. He wanted to go back to sleep.

Jack immediately stopped moving Jake as soon as he let out a yell. Ok. No more moving for him! "Jake, you HAVE to drink this, pleaseeee!" he begged with him. He was NOT going to let his girlfriend's brother die under his watch! "You have to or we'll have someone force it down," he told him. It was a bit harsh, he had to admit, but what else was he supposed to do?! Just NOT let him take it? That would be horrible decision--and as Head Boy, no less!

He was half listening to what Cela was saying as he tried to get Jake to drink it. He heard her say that she liked astronomy, which was no surprise--didn't she like all classes? He had always assumed so. Poor Cela, she seemed so out of it right now. She wasn't making any sense! He was going to pipe up that he liked astronomy too, even though there was really no NEED since he was sure everyone here was aware of his fascination with the subject, when something clicked in his head.

She was trying to tell them something! And, he knew EXACTLY what that something was.

"WAIT! Cela--FORRESTER! Are you trying to tell us that the bartender is behind Forrester's death?!" he asked. He couldn't make heads or tails of the other stuff she had said mainly cause he was only half listening but he understood that much!

For the last couple of hours, or minutes, or seconds, Wesley had concentrated on one thing - held on to one thing - Jakers Upstead. Cela had rescued him, and she was making sure he stayed rescued.

But now, as the hall switched over from battle ground to hospital, the Hufflepuff realized the severity of what had just happened. What was still happening.

Trotting alongside Jack as he carried Jake (much more effectively), lip bitten, Wesley bumbled around, uncertain of how to help but wanting to anyway.

She wasn't really that strong.

She didn't know what those crabs were for.

She couldn't levitate people.

She didn't even know any healing spells.

But Jake - he was hurting - he was screaming and panting and, well, practically - practically di-

Jack said it. He said it. He said the D-word.

"P-please, Head Boy Jack! I can help; I can! I don't know how to, but I can! I'll do anything! ANYTHING!" The tiny 3rd year exclaimed, eyes wide and panicked. Face white. Hands uselessly flapping around, threatening to accidentally wack somebody with the wand.

Oh my.

Jack hadn't even noticed little Wesley was there, but now she was, flailing about insisting that she could help.

"Whoa...calm down," he said, putting a hand on her shoulder in a very reassuring way. "You can help me watch over Jake...once we get him to take this potion we need to move him to the Headmaster's seating area," he explained. He didn't understand why she was flailing about so much! Did she think that JAKE might die?!

He hoped not! He'd be the worst Head Boy ever if that happened!

He continued to hold the potion near Jake's mouth--hopefully he'd swallow it soon--and looked back at Cela, waiting for her reaction. He hoped that she wouldn't strain herself too much trying to give them any more information, and a simple head nod was all he needed from the prefect about Forrester. All the screaming must have worn her out BIG time.

"Nooooo," Jake murmured, before clamping his lips shut and keeping his eyes closed too, trying to go back to speak. He was hearing people... words. But the words were really odd... they didn't make much sense. He could just feel a potion really close to his face and panicked. Poison? Of course.

The boy was starting to remember. The man's face he could see was... someone who needed protecting?

And the number five... yes... that swam in his head also.

These people, he could tell they weren't doing any good for his cause; the boy knew that he would just have been left behind.

As Jake thought this his head pounded angrily. It HURT.

"Mmmmm," he insisted through lips clamped shut. It was a negative sound. He wasn't all there but he knew one thing; don't drink, don't talk. Protect or sleep...

As Jack reached out a hand and gave his first order, the Hufflepuff placed her energy into her head and neck, nodding fervently, while her arms went slack. She could do that. She could stay calm. She could.

Breath in. Breath out. Breath in. Breath out.

"Right," Wesley answered, taking in the information and commiting it to memory. Then, with the utmost seriousness, she crouched infront of their charge.

"Jake," Wesley whispered softly, slowly, in the same voice she used on her duck Charles (after Mother had caught him stomping through her daisies and stupified him with her wand), "You need to drink this. Please."

Breath in. Breath out.

No need to panic. Jake'll take the potion, and then he'll live.

If not...well, Wesley wasn't going to think about that because Jake was going to drink it.

Plus she needed to stay calm.

Jack frowned and looked down at the boy. "JAKE. You NEED to take this!" he said fiercely. Did the boy not want to be cured or something?! Jack always knew there was something strange about him. Sigh. They had been making so much progress in their relationship--and now he might DIE! Not cool at all. Not cool.

That actually reminded him of something--wasn't Jake close to Professor Morgan? Or Lawson, whatever, he couldn't think clearly right now. Yes, he thought she was! In fact, he hadn't seen her at the castle at all. Maybe she could come help them!

Then again--wasn't she pregnant? If something happened to her after he sent this patronus....Lawson (and a lot of others) might very possibly kill him. Ah well. Who said she needed to join the battle, right?!

He raised his wand and, with a wave, a silvery panda flew out of his wand once more and took off down the hall.

"Nuh-..." Jake muttered again, and his head turned to the side which caused excruciating pain, though he didn't show it. Something confusing was happening in his brain.

Samuel was the man's name. And the fifth floor was... Jake didn't know. He had to protect Huxley. These people were the other side... saying he needed to drink. Jake knew it would either kill or heal him... and it was weird. If he didn't take it, he'd stay hurt, and not run off to help Samuel... which was... bad?

No... good. Jake wouldn't take it. If he didn't, he couldn't help. He was supposed to help, but he wouldn't.

But it would be so much easier t-

And with those confusing thoughts, Jake's teeth clamped together painfully despite the dreadful pain in his broken cheekbone and aching head, his hand below the crushed elbow twitched, and Jake looked straight up again, eyes shining and cuts on his face stinging... before he passed out again.

He hoped they let him stay down. If he was healed, he'd have to deal with the confusion of the decisions in his mind. It was enough to give him another breakdown.

Violet silently watched back and forth. "Whatever! This is stupid. First, Kazi comes now the stuttering machine." she said. "Bye..." she said starting to walk away.