After no answer at Kazimeriz' office, Aaron sighed defeated and shuffled along to the feast. Upon first entering the Great Hall, he glanced around for some sort of familiarity like a Gold, Sarah, or Miranda. No one and the tables looked pretty full. All of them except for one at least which was completely empty and overlooked the WHOLE Hall! Sure he knew that the table was reserved for the staff, but more the reason to have some fun with the empty table.

Mischievous twinkle in his eye, Aaron moved quietly and undetected up to the front of the Hall. No problem here though; for he was tiny and everyone was too busy chatting. Upon finally making his way up to the dias, he worked his way - still undetected - to be UNDER the table, where no one could see him, as he worked out a plan. He could have just sat in the Headmaster's reserved seat and proclaimed himself new headmaster, but he also knew that for an eleven year old, that would not go over well. So he did something else.

Starting at one end of the chairs, he removed his wand and used a sticking charm he learned to stick the feet of the chairs the floor AND to the chairs next to them. He worked quickly and efficiently until he made his way down the lineup to the other end of the table. Once complete, sat cross-legged on the ground under the table (at the end) and waited patiently for the first professor to arrive.

Let the fun commence . . .

"OWWWWW!"

Gabriella Ashford yelped in pain as her chair and the chair beside her suddenly jammed together. Her fingers had been there, thank you very much. She tugged at her hand a little but soon realized that she wasn't going to have very much luck in freeing it. "Ow...Marcus..." She fussed and fumbled a little, finally grasping her wand.

She aimed it forward and with a "Finite!", she ended the Disillusionment Charm that had previously been concealing the staff table. When the 'veil' rose, an annoyed Gabriella was shaking her hand and blowing on it in an attempt to lessen the pain.

"For the love of Merlin..."

Upon hearing Gabriella's cry of pain, Marcus turned to look at her and he begun to lean over to see what the problem was. But for some reason he couldn't seem to move.

His robes were stuck in between the chairs and he tried to tug them free but they were stuck.

Like really stuck.

Permanently so it would seem.

With a flick of his wrist, he released his wand and also cast 'Finite' and ending the Disillusionment Charm. "Ellie?"

As much as he wanted help her, Marcus was having troubles of his own.

Tate was surprised to find some of his staff members being all lurky at the staff table as he entered the hall and watched them suddenly appear from a disillusionment charm... and looking rather cross about it too. Being invisible must make you cross, he decided, and determined to avoid it.

"What are you two doing?" He gave Ellie and Marcus a puzzled look as he attempted to pull out his chair. It stuck fast. "What did you do to my chair?"

Miranda slowly made her way over to the Staff Table, seeing Ashford, Lawson and the Headmaster all sitting in their places. That was atleast three people she could say bye to...

"Good day, Miss and Sirs..." She turned to the Healer, who seemed a bit annoyed at her...hand? "Uh, Miss Ashford, I just wanted to thank you again for your help in taking care of my friends..."

...dude, what were they doing?? Everyone looked... strange.

"Are you allright... er, Professors?" EH?

Truebridge approached the staff table, nodded in vague greeting to his co-workers and paused, watching the headmaster attempt to pull his chair out. His eyes flickered back to Ashford and his buddy Marcus, noting that they were...


oh hmm.

Ethan turned around and decided to go speak to some students instead.


It didn't occur to him to offer his co-workers any help.

Marcus gave the headmaster a cool look as he kept trying to tug his robes free from the chair.

"We" he said pointing to both himself and Ellie, "Are trying to unstick ourselves from our chairs."

Well he didn't know if Ellie was stuck to hers but he seemed to be stuck to his. And it looked as though the headmaster's chair seemed to be stuck as well.

Turning his gaze from the headmaster, Marcus looked at Ellie and he raised an eyebrow, "Yes Ellie, what did you do to the headmaster's chair?"

"Ellie, huh?" He had to grin at that, giving Marcus an appreciative nod. It was unlikely the docile little thing had done anything nefarious. With a jerk, the leg snapped right off the elaborately decorated Headmaster seat, and Tate went tumbling tail over top off the back of the dias.

Yup. Classy.

As the seconds ticked on, the pain in Gabriella's hand began to lessen. She stopped shaking her hand and turned towards Marcus, who was calling her name. "It's alright. I'm okay," she mumbled, although she wasn't quite sure she could say the same for the chairs. Clearly, something had happened to them.

Upon hearing the headmaster's voice, she glanced forward and gave Tate a small smile. "That's what we're wondering---what happened to all the chairs," she answered. She stopped for a moment and tried to tug her chair free. Of course it didn't budge, though. Why would it be that simple? "Apparently, the entire lot of chairs are stuck for some odd reason."

When CMiranda, a girl she'd actually healed quite a few times this term, arrived and addressed her, Gabriella abandoned all thought of the chairs and focused on the girl instead. "Ahh, Miss BelCanto. I was happy to help you and your friends. I'm glad to see you're all doing much better," she remarked. She gave an embarrassed laugh when the girl asked if everyone was alright. "Us? Oh, we're fine, dear. Thank you." She did, however, cast a concerned glance towards the chairs.

Before turning to Marcus, Gabriella nodded towards Ethan, a man she hadn't had too many opportunities to talk with this term. Perhaps she could sneak in a word or two with him later on. She blinked in surprise and turned to Marcus when he asked what she'd done to the headmaster's chair. How she became the culprit in all this, she'd never know. She held up her semi-injured hand and mumbled, "I think the better question is what it did to me."

Hearing a rather unusual sound, Gabriella jumped then whirled around to see Tate sprawled out on the floor. Well, now. Wasn't this turning out to be a rather eventful feast? She thought about leaving him be---afterall, he'd originally wondered what she [and Marcus] had done to his chair, but she just couldn't ignore him. With a shrug, she turned to check on him. "Headmaster! Are you alright?" she asked.

Marcus snorted as he watched the headmaster fall off the dias. Oh what style that man had.

"I would give you a hand but it appears that I am rather stuck myself" he called out to the man, wherever he had disappeared to.

Nice to know that he wasn't the only one that made a fool of himself in front of others.

Ah, which reminded him. Didn't he owe Evelyn a day of slavery? Well he certainly wasn't going to bring it up.

Still chuckling to himself over Tate's antics, Marcus looked back at Ellie and her apparently injured hand.

"Lucky you're a healer eh?" he said finally giving up on freeing himself from the chair and picking up a glass of water and taking a sip.

Oh yes Marcus was in a very good mood indeed.

Ugh. With a little groan, Tate climbed back on the dais, rubbing his now bruised arm with a look of complete disgust. And here he was, supposed to be agile and quick on his feet, falling over himself.

"Apparently we're adding tumbling to our repertoire," he mumbled, even as he climbed over the now-wobbly Headmaster's chair. He shoved the table a few inches so he could stand in the gap between the chair and the table, giving the entire thing a horrified look as it wobbled for a moment too close to the edge of the dais before he jerked it back.

And spilled every glass of water.

"Okay, so..." WHAT AN EXCELLENT TIME FOR A SPEECH. "Well done, you lot. No one died and... you defended your school and your fellows. We're proud of your work this term, and I hope you feel a bit smarter." He caught the table again, bringing it back toward him. "Good work to Ravenclaw, winning the house cup in a surprising flurry right there at the end. It was a tight race all term."

And was there really anything else to say? He shoved his hands into his pockets. "I think it's safe to say that none of us know what the future may hold, even with Seers sprinkled among us from time to time. Our decisions change things, our actions make or break a vision. The power to succeed is firmly in your own hands, all we can do up here is provide you with the tools to get there. Some of the faces you see up here won't be back next term, and they'll be replaced by new faces that are equally interested in pushing you along toward your individual destinies. As for me, I've appreciated my time here, and each of you, and I hope you feel the same. So." Pause. "Thanks."

Aaron sat in his spot concealed under the table as the Professors began appearing one-by-one and discovering their stuck chairs. Covering his mouth with his hand to contain the amusement, he listened to their frustrations and blames being put out on others. But then the first year heard a familiar voice, followed by a Ahh, Miss BelCanto. I was happy to help you and your friends. Uh oh! His captain!! If she knew what he did, she would sooo hurt him!

Holding his breath, he wished he'd left when he had the chance. Now he was stuck under the table ALL feast and he was gonna miss the train. And then be stuck at Hogwarts ALL SUMMER long. His parents would kill him.

Ooh. Speech. Listening, he tried to think up a plan to escape without being noticed, but nothing came to mind. Except that he was sure the Hall would empty out after the feast and he'd still have an hour or so to escape freely before the train arrived. Pulling his knees up to his chest, he wrapped his arms around them and waited . . .

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anna Banana

When CMiranda, a girl she'd actually healed quite a few times this term, arrived and addressed her, Gabriella abandoned all thought of the chairs and focused on the girl instead. "Ahh, Miss BelCanto. I was happy to help you and your friends. I'm glad to see you're all doing much better," she remarked. She gave an embarrassed laugh when the girl asked if everyone was alright. "Us? Oh, we're fine, dear. Thank you." She did, however, cast a concerned glance towards the chairs.

Miranda made a face and was startled when the Headmaster suddenly dissapeared...er... somewhere. But the Healer's voice made her turn towards the woman, quickly puttin on a more pleasant expression. She nodded at the woman and was very thankful for her help.

But the 'we're fine' speech, she was totally not buying. "Oh, allright, Miss." Er. "I should let you...um, finish your meal." She smiled and with a nod, excused herself from the dias...right when the Headmaster made his speech.

...and what a speech it was. Miranda didn't understand half of it, but then again, she wasn't paying enough attention. But she headed over to the Hufflepuff table to continue her meal. Before they all said their goodbyes.

And all that stuff.

She definitely was taking her time to walk up to the staff table, for one, her feet still hurt and she was tired, but two, she was still figuring out what to say. However, she had no time to think about it anymore since now she was standing right there in front of the Professor. Why was she up here anyways? Apologizing? Congratulating? Saying hello?

Say something, say something, say..."Heeey, Lawsgu-...Professor." she said in a slightly nervous tone. Nervous? Pfft. No she wasn't nervous. Now what? She got the greeting part down but the rest was stuck somewhere in her mind and didn't feel like revealing itself anytime soon apparently.

"Umm...Oh! I was just wondering, if you were still going to be here next term." What with Professor Morgan and the new, baby, and all. Eesh. Evelyn still couldn't believe he had a...he was a...Bleh.

Peering over the rim of his glass, Marcus watched Evelyn approach the table and he suppressed a groan that was threatening to leave his lips. The girl must have some sort of ESP or something of that nature because he had just been thinking about her and here she was.

And what was this?

The girl seemed nervous about something not at all like her usual confident, cheeky and smart aleck self. He placed his glass down onto the table and rested his elbows onto the table, his chin resting on his hand.

"Hello Evelyn" he replied giving her a small smile, thinking the only reason she was here was to cash in on the bet she had won. But what she said instead took him by surprise.

"Yes I am Evelyn. Unless you know something I don't." He meant it as a joke but he didn't find himself laughing.

Marcus cocked his head to the side and surveyed the young girl, "What's on your mind Miss Flores?"

Oh good, he was going to still be here next year. So she could start planning that 'slave for a day' thing over the summer. She was definitely going to be having fun with that. Perhaps she should get Destiny and Marie on it too? Since Marie was already inviting her and Destiny with the Rex thing..."No, I don't know anything that would say you were...yea."

Now to the question that she had really come up here in the first place. What was on her mind? There were many things on her mind. Too many to count or look through, or to even think about really. Half of them she didn't even want to think about, and the other half was a blurry mess so even if she wanted to think about them, she couldn't.

"I was...just wondering..." How in the world should she phrase this? Not something she brought up in an everyday conversation, especially since it was about herself really. "That day, with the attack...what happ-...did I..."

It was really difficult to piece together the pictures in her mind, plus adding the sounds that she remembered was making it an even harder task to do. "Nevermind. I just wanted to say, thank you, for finding me and Destiny that day, night, whichever it was, in the great hall." That part she remembered, seeing is it was burned into her mind. She should thank Professor Truebridge as well. But first off...to switch the conversation. "How is Professor Morgan?"

Oh crap!

He could tell by the look on her face that the girl had not forgotten about the bet. This time Marcus did groan inwardly at the thought of what this Slytherin would have him doing.

That was going to be one loooooong twenty four hours.

Sensing her unease about discussing what had happened when he had found both her and Evelyn, Marcus lent back in his chair and made a dismissive motion with his hands. "I'm just glad to see that you both are okay now. That's what matters."

Of course he remembered the day Remi had entered the castle and had caused a few of the kids to cause chaos. He also remembered quite clearly Evelyn and Destiny before he was stunned. Not that he ever planned to bring that up, he knew that they hadn't been themselves.

Slightly relieved with the subject change, Marcus gave Evelyn a broad smile. "She and the baby are doing really well." He paused for a moment and lent forward once again, "She had a girl, in case you were wondering. We named her Ava."

She, okay? Well, that was actually a good thing he thought that. She didn't need another person breathing down her neck twenty-four/seven like at home.

Thank Merlin that the subject change was successful. Now that she had thanked him, she could put it alllll in the past! "That's good. Congratulations." she nodded, smiling slightly and wringing her hands behind her back. This topic was way worse than speaking about, that night. Day. Those days.

Wait, they had a little girl? Raising her eyebrows in surprise, she was just about to open her mouth to suggest practically the most brilliant name anyone could ever have...when, apparently, they already named her. "Pretty name." she said, her smile faltering slightly, but she backed it up with one of her fake ones just in time before anything could be noticed.

"Well, thanks, for everything, and I hope you have a good summer with Professor Morgan and...Ava." Yes, she was definitely in a better mood now. "Can't wait to meet her by the way. Ava, I mean. I'm sure Destiny will want to meet her as well. It'll be fun."

And she will just leave out the fact that she hated children under the age of five. It was a shame though, that she and Destiny wouldn't be at the school when the new Lawsguini addition was a student here. They could've been great friends.

Smirking, now back to her usual self, she waved slightly to the Professor before heading back down to the Slytherin table. However, not before taking a quick glance at the Headmaster. Pfft. Kazimeriz should've been headmaster...

Professor Kazimeriz entered the hall silently through a side-door. Though one might have thought it impossible, he looked even older and more frail than before the battle. His posture was more stooped as he depended on his cane; his face was pale, and had taken on that curious wasting, falling-away look that often accompanies serious illness in old age.

Standing behind the staff table, he listened to the speech in silence.

No one died? He pressed his lips together and his eyebrows furrowed as he considered this.

"'No one died.' Hardly the memorial one would expect for all the students who fell last term... or Professor Edward Forrester, beloved Head of Slytherin House, a gentleman and a scholar. Have we forgotten them already? 'No one died.' For shame, Gaellen. For shame." he growled in a stage whisper, clearly meant to sound as though he were grumbling to himself while still carrying throughout the much of the hall for the students to hear.

After all, he himself had nearly passed. Perhaps it was vanity, but he could not help but feel a bit appalled at the callous disregard this "headmaster" had for those who lost their lives at the hand of the scoundrel Remi Devereux. Would he, too, be forgotten so soon had he fallen?

He shook his head, glowering at the Headmaster, then stumble-shuffled several ungainly steps toward his seat. He did not sit down, though the effort of those few steps left him winded and the seat would be greatly appreciated. Instead, he stood in contemplation, looking over all the young faces at the feast-- staff and students alike. His vision doubled for just a moment as tears threatened; he blinked hard and they were gone. He reflected that in another blink, the students would be as well.

The seasons go too fast. How can it be they have grown so much, so soon?

Jake heard the man speak as he approached the dias, and he found himself trembling. He felt he was doing the right thing... maybe afterwards he could ask Tate if he could be expelled.

But first he HAD to tell Kazi this... he'd been warned in his second year about not speaking up.

"Ssssir," Jake said quietly, approaching the man hesitantly. The boy now stood at around 5'2"; he'd grown alot in the past month. He fiddled with the sling that held up his right arm and tried to make eye contact as he waited for acknowledgement before going on.

Kazimeriz's reverie was broken by the sibilant hiss of Jake Upstead's stutter. He glanced over at the boy, noting the sling -- from the Battle? Most likely. It made him wonder about Kururugi's well being, and his eyes momentarily darted to the Slytherin table, scanning the heads to find the boy with furry cat ears. He redirected his focus back to Upstead, drawing himself up to stand tall despite the pain and his own frailty; mustn't let the students perceive their professors as anything but strong, competent, consistent... and above all, worthy of their respect.

"Yes, Mr. Upstead?" he asked, raising an eyebrow and gazing on the boy with his usual stern expression.

When Kaz looked away from him, Jake took a second to glance over at Lawson, and at once his expression became stone. He didn't care what happened; Mr. Lawson hated him now. So Mrs. Lawson would as well...

"It..." Jake started, but found himself lost for words. He'd practiced this over and over in his mind, and now he was stuck. "It wwwas my fffault," he tried again, and once the first part was out of the way, he found it easier to go on. "I kkkept so mmmuch quiet. I luhh-lied to the hhhealer when I gggot hurt... I wwwas bbblacking out again. Ssssir... last year... Muhh-mr. Lawson... It wwwas ME that att-att-attacked him."

And then the clincher. Jake knew; he'd worked it out long before... Masterson's words were just confirmation for him. "Luhh-last yyyear, I kkkept blacking out... ignnnoring it... Muhh-me and LouAnn... we killed thuhh-those kids. We mmmust have. The rrrunes... and... and B-b-bontecou gggone..."

Jake lowered his gaze and stared at his feet. "I shhhould have left the ssschool lllast year. I'm sssorry... this is mmmy fault... I sshould bbbe... ex... expppuhh-..." Jake broke off. He could say no more.

But he was void of emotion, his voice was flat. Looking down the table for Masterson, Jake soon gave up and looked straight at Kazi. "I kkkept sssecrets. My fffault."

Okay, so not entirely true. He HAD told... but it was HIS responsibility to tell more people until he was believed. "I'm sssssorry. I'm gggonna ask Tuhh-tate if... if..."

Okay, so he really was reambling now...

Kazimeriz raised his ancient hand to the boy. "Enough." he said softly. "Be easy in your mind, Mr. Upstead. I appreciate that you have learned to no longer blame others for you actions, at last, son." He smiled at the irony. "But this time, the responsibility is not yours to bear. You were not in control of your faculties, and we all share the burden for what transpired. The chain of blame goes upward: to your Defense professor for not recognizing your blackouts for what they were... to me, for not trusting my intuition and taking more aggressive action to investigate and protect you... to your Headmasters for not insisting on more thorough Ministry law enforcement investigations... and certainly, to Professor Lupa for failing to disclose her past, placing every resident of Hogwarts in potential jeopardy... but finally, the responsibility truly rests at the feet of one Remi Devereux, who Merlin willing will pay for his crimes with a long kiss from a Dementor." He met Upstead's eyes.

"With so many dead or injured, there is more than enough blame to share. For you, however, the only responsibility you bear is for not being honest... And one could argue that perhaps you were not even responsible for that, if you were under the imperius curse." He nodded once; case closed. He smiled ever so slightly at the lad, shuffling over to the dais steps. "Now then. Do you suppose you would be willing to help an old man over to the Ravenclaw table? I have business with Miss Toussaint."

"Ssssir, I killed them," Jake insisted, not wanting this to go away so easily. "I kkkilled them. I killed them," he stressed. "Mmmurder is illegal, ssssir. I did it. Luhh-lawson is rrrright, this is all mmmmy fffault."

Okay, that bit about staying calm?

Fail.

And Kazi managed to point out something... Jake was taking responsibility, and now he was WRONG?! Brain aaaaache.

"Whuhh-why ddddoesn't anyone ssssee that? I... I... I'm wwweak," he insisted, and sighed. "If I wwwasn't at Hhhhogwarts..."

Hearing that Kazi wanted to be out of Jake's company already, the boy sighed and nodded his head. Following the man to the steps, he looked at the Great Hall dejectedly. "I'm ssstill asking Tate to... expppell me," he added quietly. Then he realised how loud his voice had been when hee was talking about killing.

Oops?