Kellen....wasn't helping. At all. What possessed him even attempt to defend the woman's deranged thought process was beyond her. She just passed it off as a Ravenclaw thing. Any comments she had wanted to say were summed up nicely by Sabel. There is no excuse for what she did the them, not one.

Arya had scooted closer to her friend when he tightened his grip, and she relaxed when he began to rub her back. But something Kellen had said kept running through her mind.

'She's going to be here the rest of the year.'

"I'm not taking potions so long as she's the professor." It was not debatable, go back so the woman could continue to use her as a guinea pig? No thank you.

Kellen nodded at Sabel's words, "No, I know. And I agree with you. It's just... why? What could... never mind." He flopped back against the couch, resolving to think it over when he was on his own. Or with Keys, maybe, he seemed like an open-minded kind of guy.

He looked back at Arya when she talked about not taking potions for the rest of the year, "I wouldn't either, if I were you."

"Some people, think because they have power, they have control. That such control is deserved to them and thus respect is deserved. They don't understand respect must be earned, and it can only be earned when one takes responsiblity for their actions." Which this woman was going to do; one way or another.

Resting his chin on Arya's head, he frowned a little at Kellen in thought. "I'm sure she had her reasons, I just don't particularly care about them."

But there was a time and a place for that. Letting out a small sigh, he reached over and picked up one of the forgotten cupcakes. "Arya, you want one? They look amazing." Cupcakes equalled sugar which meant cheer, right?

Arya didn't care to know Lafay's reasons behind what she did to them, to her there was no reason to justice what she did. So while the two boys spoke she just stared at the cover of one the magazines.

Her mind was elsewhere when Sabel offered her a cupcake she had abandoned earlier. She shook her head slowly, "I'll save it for later."

"But Sabel," Kellen pointed out, "by that line of reasoning, if this professor takes responsibility for her actions, she'll have earned your respect. Do you agree with that, or would you say that she's forever lost any chance of gaining respect from you and a good deal of the student body?" He shrugged at what Sabel said next, "If you don't care about the reasons, it makes it difficult to understand what caused it. Professors don't just randomly light children on..."

His eyes went to Arya, and he dropped what he'd been about to say in favour of nudging the cupcakes forward, "Take two. Honestly, I can't eat them, I'm stuffed. Everyone's trying to force cupcakes on each other and we're all looking for empty stomachs to fill."

"There's a line to being able to earn back respect." Sabel responded quietly. "And she's crossed it." Her redemption, would be hard in coming.

But cupcakes were a better topic for Arya; she didn't need to think the matter of the Professor any longer than neccessary and only if she really wanted to. Which, at the moment she didn't look inclined to do. Plopping the cupcake into his mouth so half was sticking out, he went about wrapping Arya's in a napkin the best he could without disturbing her.

Arya's eyes narrowed and flickered over to Kellen with the slightest hint of anger at his unfinished sentence. What was he saying? That she deserved what happened to her!? Sane professors don't just light students on fire, but she was far from sane.

She wished that Kellen would quit trying to figure out her motives. If there was anything she learned from last term, it was that knowing the reasons behind someone's actions didn't help to understand the situation.

Her eyes fell back on the cupcakes as Sabel wrapped up hers in a napkin, maybe she would eat one later. Now she wasn't in the mood, just wanted the Headmaster to hurry and let them in so she could sleep away her troubles.

Justin sighed as more and more people turned up in the seating area. It was getting extremely crowded and he really needed to talk to Professor Tate.

Constantine arrived in the area. Wow. It was crazy over here. Hmm, he took a seat in a chair and drummed fingers on the arm of the chair.

After he had finished wraping up the cupcake, he had enclosed himself in silence for a few minutes, trying to gather his thoughts. Things had began to settle a little in the freeway that was his mind. That was until he saw the Grounds Keeper, Mr. Masterson. Not a Professor, but a Head of the Hufflepuff house. An authoratative figure. And he looked just as impatient as he felt on the inside.

Unwrapping himself a little from Arya, he raised his head and turned his attention towards the other man. "Are you here about what the potions professor did?" No sense in being discrete, and no sense in beating around the bush; it wouldn't help.

Constantine looked up and over at the gryffindor talking to him. "Uhhh...yes. Yes, I am." This one wasn't going to yell at him about it too, was he?

Sabel's eyebrows shot up and he turned slightly so that he was better facing the other man, while making sure he was still holding Arya protectively. His tone came frustrated and serious, but not at the man before him, rather more in a sympathetic and understanding of more than likely sharing a similar attitude towards the situation. "Something needs to be done about it. A teacher can't just go around torching a student. That's why muggles have artifical representations. You don't see them throwing chemicals on a student in medical school and going 'fix this burn before it eats all the way down to the bone'. Sure we have magic and so things aren't as serious as they are in the muggle world, because we can fix them right away. But that doesn't mean we can be irresponsible about it. If anything, our responsibility level should be through the roof. How are we to protect the muggles if we're running around lighting each other on fire...lighting those who are supposed to learn how to protect muggles on fire?"

He shook his head, rubbing Arya's arm a little, his voice dropping slightly as he looked towards the hallway. "And now she's put three Prefects in detention because they were trying to help. It's like putting firefighters in jail for trying to save burning victims. When was that a crime? You don't want to get hexed, don't burn a student. Use a dummy. Simple as that."

He blinked a little and bit his lip, a slight sheepishness coming over him. "Sorry. I'm just frustrated." Back on track. "I think a resuce mission is in order personally."

Anddddd there went the kid.

Constantine listened patiently, nodding every now and again to show that he was listening. Being a staff member though, he couldn't outwardly say how much he agreed with the kid. That just didn't seem very professional, now that he was a Head of House and all.

It, however, did all sound horrifying overall. Constantine acknowledged that he could be a bit of a pain sometimes, but...setting kids on fire? Ouch.

"Well, let us wait to see Headmaster Tate in order to see what is to be done or will happen." Cue smile.

Sabel's eyebrows shot up more at that, a small frown crossing his expression. "That's it?" That didn't seem like it should be it. Even Kellen had more of an opinion than that. "You aren't upset? You aren't in agreeance? You just...are?"

His frown deepend. "You are a staff member, someone with more power than any student or prefect, and that's all you have to say? If you agree then you can say so, if you disagree then you can say so too. You obviously care enough to be here, one way or another, but yet you say nothing. Three prefects will face a teacher without hesitation, but even when no one is around, you will say nothing?"

He wasn't trying to insult the man, or call him a coward by any means. He just didn't understand. The man had to have an opinion, but he was just...smiling. And that rubbed him the wrong way.

Arya said and did nothing to acknowledge Masterson's pressence, just rested against Sabel's chest. When Sabel began to speak with the man, she listened to him speak, but still did nothing. Her Head of House would find out soon enough that she was one of the students set aflame. Though she did wonder how he had found out about the incedent so fast.

When Masterson gave a simple response, she knew what was coming next. Saw it coming from a mile away she did. Sabel was ranting again, similar to the one he had by the lake before coming here. But this time it was at a staff member.

Not good. She had one friend in detention, she did not need two.

"Sabel," She whisperd just loud enough for him to hear as she gave him a gentle nudge. Lifting her head off his chest, she gave him a look. "Calm down." She pleaded, giving Masterson an apologetic glance before replacing her head on his chest.

He would have plenty of time to rant when they spoke with the Headmaster, and she knew he would.

Constantine blinked. Crap.

"Mmm..." Think, man. THINK. "I'm....sorry?" Constantine looked down. Somewhere. ANYWHERE other than this kid. He was really starting to wonder why on earth he accepted this job...

"...What?" He looked down at Arya's nudge, noting the plea and concern in her voice for his outburst. It was a debate of whether he should have felt bad for lecturing the man, especially with the look Arya was giving him, or if it was neccessary.

The topic was still undecided as Mr. Masterson apologized. Sabel's head came up and he blinked at that one. Letting out a small breath, he had to admit, that hadn't been the response he had been expecting. "An apology is nothing, if you don't act to change what you are apologizing for. You can say sorry all you want, but it is meaningless unless you find resolve to fix it."

He shook his head a little, then again the man wasn't really apologizing, more of questioning whether he should be or not. So he gave a small shrug and wrapped his arms back around Arya. "It's your choice whether you speak or not." Personally, he had been hoping for an ally to break the dungeons of Kaza'doom.

Wait. Was he getting told off by a KID?

Ouch.

Constantine's face hardened. "Right." He then gave a kid that told him to come no where near him, let alone talk. Constantine slumped in his chair and stared at a spot on the floor. Sigh.

This man, should have given him detention or docked points or some such matter for the way he had spoken. Something in the back of his head was telling him that. Then again, at the same time, the other man didn't seem to have much of a backbone, besides that last warning glance. He seemed to be sitting on a fence, a fence of silence with a smile. When did that do anyone any good?

Irritation plucked at already agitated strings inside of him as he returned his attention to the gargoyles. Why did teachers have to act like everything was okay when it wasn't, give smiles for things that were no where close to deserving them, withold opinions when a discussion could be helpful, or healthy?

Sidney makes her way down the steps to the garygoyle entrance. She anounces to the seating area and gargoyle entrance. "The Headmaster will see whoever is next." Sidney then get a roll out of her bag. She unrolls the poster and places on the wall of the sitting area with a permanent sticking charm.

Before anyone could even BREATHE, Constantine jumped up from his chair and ran up the stairs to Tate's office. Ha. That would teach that kid to lecture HIM....

He had been fine. He had been calming down. His mind had gone from worrying about Mr. Masterson's lack of spine to worrying about how he was going to make sure Arya ate after such an ordeal. Then, Sydeny was back and Masterson was bolting upstairs. Seriously? Seriously?!

Aghast, he turned to Arya and Kellen, pointing in the area of the disappeared Mr. Masterson. "Is this guy for real?" There were other kids waiting, not to mention a line up. It was called common courtesy.

Kellen had been studiously ignoring the conversation between Sabel and Masterson, passing the time with a magazine on fertilizer brands, but now that Masterson was gone...

"Sabel, give it a rest." Kellen closed the magazine and rolled his eyes, "Masterson's a Head of House, and he already told you he's here to talk to Tate about the potions prof. Don't you think maybe what he has to say will carry a little more clout?"

Arya was leaning against Sabel resting her eyes and trying not to think about why she was here. Which was hard to do considering the fact that she was fiddling with the burned tips of her robe's sleeve. It had burned off at the elbow and she felt weird having have a robe sleeve. Sigh. These were new robes too.

When Masterson ran up the stairs she didn't really expect Sabel to get so angry, after all he is here for the same reasons and was staff, so therefore had precedence over them. But get angry he did. Maybe she would have been upset too, if she wasn't so tired. Arya looked to Kellen when he finaly spoke and nodded in agreement. Then she looked up at Sabel. "He's right, and maybe he'll have a better chance of fixing this then we will." Hopefully.

Almost instantly, he felt ashamed for his actions. Glancing between his two friends, he nodded and returned his attention back to folding the cupcake. Why had he gotten upset? Perhaps it was because the man had expressed no opinion to them, or no seeming care about the situation, so he hadn't supposed he would be particularly different in Tate's office.

"Sorry." He breathed quietly, narrowing his eyes to focus more intently on the napkin. Or maybe he was just upset at Professors in general because of what had happened to Arya. "Maybe...you should just leave me down here when you go to talk to the Headmaster." He knew himself, and he knew he was liable to blow up if someone said something that belittled what had happened, what was happening.