For the briefest moment, while the Gryffindor made her way down to the dungeons, she worried that the Professor might have been possessed too and therefore of no use to her but then she figured it was a risk she would have to take. The Dungeons were close enough to the kitchen to prevent it from being a wasted effort but again, she'd rather he be normal for this kind of meeting. If he wasn't, she'd probably just come back at the end of the week or something when she was positively sure he was back to normal.

Lex stopped by the door and gave a few brisk knocks like she usually did when she was coming to visit. They were certainly loud enough to wake him if he'd been sleeping but she could hardly be blamed. For some reason the Professor always seemed in need of sleep and while she was in full support of naps, they were hardly ideal when she needed something.

See the point?

Cosgrach wasn't sleeping this time. He was wide awake and was reading a rather voluminous book about plants used in potions making. The book was full of notes he took himself, and if he liked something less than being disturbed in sleep, it was being disturbed while he was doing potions stuff. And the knocking was quite loud too! He growled, looked at the door and thought of NOT answering, but if they knocked on his door this loudly, it had to be something urgent.

It'd better be.

So he drew his wand and waved at it to open the door.

"Come in!"

So after that horrid divination class, there was definitely something on Zander's mind and this time, he couldn't make it go away! But who'd blame him? It wasn't anything light after all. He had officially broken Professor Morgan. Like, officially. She seemed fine the day after when he had gone in to clear the air. Except for, there next lesson.... She was clearly upset with everything that he possibly said.

It was all the potions fault.

Culloden had to know how to fix this. He just had to.

Taking a deep breath-- because of course this was the last place he wanted to be right now-- Zander approached the office door and knocked two separate times. And if Culloden wasn't in a good mood... Zander could just you know, leave and come back some other time. Or maybe never. Ahem.

Tomorrow. My office. At 7 PM.

And so it was the next day, and by Soph's wristwatch the time was 6:58 in the evening. Right on time for her detention, even though she was certain it wasn't really a detention. How could he REALLY be mad at her? She was POSITIVE that, if the roles had been reversed, HE would have laughed at HER, too, and if he really was mad, she would just tell him that - plus, it wasn't like she was laughing at him or embarrassing him in front of other people. It had JUST been the two of them.

So... where was the harm, really?

Soph, not at all thinking she had done anything wrong and assuming this "detention" was just a joke, knocked the same way she always did and announced, "It's Soph." It probably WAS a joke, really, and this was his rebuttal prank. Maybe he wasn't even there, or maybe he'd booby-trapped the door so something would fall on her when she came in, or MAYBE he was going to sneak up on her - she WHIRLED around at the thought, but no one else was in the corridor.

Okay. So. Maybe the prank was inside, then.

The Beast grumbled to himself when he heard the knocking. WHO was this intruder, now? He groaned and bellowed "WHO IS IT?"



The Beast had spent the last 10 minutes looking at his reflection in the mirror. When the knocking came for the second time in that day, he groaned even more loudly.

"What do you want?" he asked again, in a deeper tone than his usual. Was this a trick Beauty was playing on him?

...Had he forgotten?

Soph stared blankly at the door, her head tilted slightly in confusion. Mister GRUMPY tonight, she heard that groan. "Really funny." He could play stupid like he didn't know why she was there. Was this part of the prank? Sigh. She'd play along. "It's 6:59, sir. Are we still on for my detention?"

If not, she would be happy to leave and go tell Tobes about her detention that wasn't a detention at all and have a good laugh about it with him.

Funny???

Sir? Detention? Could this be Beauty? She never came back, and maybe this was her way of apologising.

"I am no sir," he growled, but opened the door and -

She wasn't Beauty. She was just a kid. He growled even deeper.

"What do you want?

Soph raised an eyebrow at the professor in the doorway, crossing her arms over her chest a bit skeptically. Nothing had fell on her, nothing jumped out at her, there was... no pranking happening, was there? Except maybe this grumpy, oblivious facade of his.

He was funny, did he know?

"Oooookay." No sir? "Just a big dummy, then." She reached to gently nudge Culloden's arm, grinning big. "You tell me to come see you at this time, then you growl at me when I do? My, my, where did your manners go, T.G.O.?" Her smile widened and she began to walk forward, fully expecting him to let her pass into the office. Confident and cool - he could play games all he wanted, but she wasn't deterred by his attitude.

Didn't he at least want to lecture her or something about scaring him in the exhibit?

Just as Zander was beginning to lose hope... He heard a grumbling come from within and.... Professor Culloden? Yeah okay. So not a good mood. How come whenever he had to talk to a Professor he always had to catch them at the wrong time, HUH? Stupid, dumb luck.

"I-uh-It's Zander Adair, sir?"

He probably could've left before Culloden had seen him. Just come back some other time where there was no groaning involved. Except, he had to fix this NOW! He had to save Professor Morgan from whatever he had done to her with that potion. That and he had already said his name soooo.... Right.

...she TOUCHED him?

......she walked IN HIS ROOM without his PERMISSION??

The Beast was paralysed with disbelief. He didn't let her pass. He gaped, but a growl was beginning to be heard from the depth of his throat.

"You dare to call me a DUMMY?" AAARGH! "Then you shall NOT leave this room until you learn - huh, what is it?" He eyed the coat hanger as if it had spoken to him, "I don't care that she's just a kid! She was disrespectful!" Then he paused, his attention completely on the inanimate object. Then his face lit up. Of course. How could he be so silly!

"Do you know where Beauty is?"



Zander Adair?

The Beast clearly thought who this man was as the silence stretched. Then, he slowly opened the door ajar to peek at this Zander Adair.

"What do you want, Zander Adair?"

Oooh, growling. See, THIS was a side of Culloden that she hadn't seen much of. He was super funny, though, wasn't he? GROWLING at her, yes she heard it, deep in his throat! Like some kind of animal! "I always call you a dummy." That much was true, so why was he acting so upset about it? He knew well enough that it was a term of endearment, so even him PRETENDING to be upset about it was -

...

Did he just talk to that coat hanger?

Soph was silent, processing his talking to the inanimate object with a stone-cold expression - until he asked about Beauty. Ohhhhhhhhhhhh no. OH NO. SHE KNEW THAT STORY. SHE KNEW WHAT THIS MEANT STRAIGHT AWAY.

HE HAD JOINED THE RANKS OF THE POSSESSED.

She had two options, the way she saw it: she could play along and pretend like she did know where "Beauty" was and take him to see the Headmistress, or she could try to reason with him and explain to him that he was, in fact, NOT the "Beast" from the classic tale and explain to him who he really was and what he was doing there. The former made more sense, perhaps, but the latter was more of a challenge.

And Sophie Brown would not back down in the face of a challenge.

Since the man wouldn't let her pass, Soph decided to just lean against the wall, her arms crossed over her chest to exemplify the calm, confident aura she wanted to give off. "Beast? I don't mean to upset you - please listen to me for a moment, okay?" She searched Culloden's eyes briefly before pressing on, "You're not actually who you think you are. Your real name, the one that belongs to the body you're in, is Cosgrach Culloden. You're a professor, and this is your school. You're grumpy and gruff and eat like an animal, but you have your redeeming qualities - like a heart of gold that you're afraid to let people see. Behind your tough exterior is a really good-natured, nice guy, and sometimes I think you're afraid to let people get close to you 'cause you do care about people and you're worried you'll hurt them if they get TOO close because you don't know how to stop and think before you talk. And... all of this... is... much like yourself, or who you think you are, Beast, isn't it? You and this Culloden guy are a lot alike, see?" She KNEW the tale.

"Maybe that's why you're in his mind and body right now, 'cause... you two are so much alike and... maybe you needed that outlet. Someone to... be your voice. D'you feel like no one listens t'you? No one understands?" She was assessing the situation aloud and drawing her own conclusions about the whole possessing thing. The more she thought about it... Lex made a good Maleficent, that Slytherin boy had made a good Peter Pan, Maddie was a cute Goldilocks, Botros made a dynamite King Triton, Flamsteed as Captain Hook... well, that was the only one she could THINK of that was a little tricky to pinpoint the appropriate connection. Maybe it had to do with the man's dislike of chaos and disorder, which children normally caused, like those in Neverland.

THIS one made a whole lot of sense, the connection between the fictional character and Culloden. But all in all, she was kind of sad for him. Both real Culloden AND the Beast one. The fact that, however it happened, Beast chose to possess this particular man. They were kindred spirits. And that softened Sophie's heart right down to the core.

"But I can take you to see a beauty, if you want." Truebridge. "Maybe she can help." Okay, so she'd ran with both plans.

Zander was getting even more nervous as the silence stretched on. Was Culloden not opening the door on purpose? Now that he KNEW it was Zander for a fact... Maybe that's why the door wasn't opening. Or why he wasn't being invited in or-- OH!the door opened.

Well, ahem. Uh. Finally.

He took a few steps forward so that he could see Professor Culloden through the door. But uh, he wasn't really invited in yet was he? Wasn't it like a rule that you couldn't walk into a Professors office unless they told you too? And if it was a rule then Zander didn't want another detention or another 'not-really-a-detention, detention', so just for the sake of that he just stood at the foot of the door. Ahem.

What did he want? Answers! Er, actually..... What did he want? "Well, Sir, I think I need an antidote?" But wait, he was the one who took the potion. "Or well, er, Professor, is it possible for a potion to have an effect on someone who didn't drink it?" Wait, not that was a dumb question. BUT it was a perfectly reasonable one!! "Because I think that Professor Morgan reacted to the hate potion, but she wasn't the one who drank it and so I was wondering if there's a way that I could get a potion from you to fix her?"

.... That made sense? ....... Riiiiiiggghhhhhhhtttt??

Beast could listen for a moment, but only for one. He folded his arms and looked at his grumpiest - this was her cue to go on. And she did. But what did she mean he wasn't the Beast? Of course he was! He growled again to voice his disagreement. What? A professor? UGH, THAT word again. As if it wasn't enough that these little insects infested his castle, they also called him a professor! And this castle was a school? Noooo, it couldn't be. This was just another trick of... he couldn't remember who, but it had to be a trick. He had to find Beauty. She was the answer to all...

He listened and listened, but he grew more impatient and his attention began to falter. He grumbled here and there, but otherwise didn't talk. She talked in his stead too, anyway. He was about to snap, but then she spoke the magic word: Beauty. His face lit up.

"Yes." Take him to her!



......??????

"Are you trying to FOOL me???" He was ANGRY! WHAT was this Zander Adair talking about??? "If she sent you to confuse me, I will NOT fall for that!" He was the BEAST! NO ONE messed with him!

Wait.... HUUUUUUH????

O__________O WHY WAS HE SO ANGRY????

Fool him?

The Gryffindor shook his head. A lot. Not trying to fool him. Asking for help!! How come every time Zander needed help, no one believed him! It wasn't fair. He was only trying SAVE THE SCHOOL. Even last year when he was trying to do the same thing Simon didn't believe him!! And then, well... Everything ended up working out itself... But... Wait... That wasn't the point!!

This time it was his own fault!! Well, partially. It was mostly the potions fault. Wait, what was the question again? "No Sir, I have no idea what you're talking about! No one sent me here, but myself!" Which he was truly regretting now by the way. "I just thought that maybe you could give me a potion to save Professor Morgan?"........ So could he?

...Yes. Simple and sweet.

"All right, then." Soph offered him the softest, most genuine of smiles and nodded her head toward the other end of the corridor. "Let's go." She wanted to offer him her arm or something to appear welcoming and kind and not deter the Beast from adventuring with her, but she thought better of it. She would just be as pleasant and cordial as possible along the way.

Luckily, the Headmistress' office wasn't TOO far away.

The Beast narrowed his eyes sceptically. The boy came here on his own? Hmm.. -

'SAVE'+A WOMAN'S NAME=HIS BEAUTY WAS IN DANGER! And this Zander was her cousin or something. The Beast ROARed. WHO dared hurt her?

"Take me to her!" he commanded as he finally stepped out of his room.


The Beast followed her grimly as he planned how he should LOCK Beauty up so that she would NEVER run away!

...... Did Culloden just....

Wast that a...

....... ROAR?

Uh. The Gryffindor didn't know what to do. So he didn't do anything? Just stood glued to his place, with a tilted head, big eyes, and a big 'HUUUUUUHH??' expression plastered onto his face. Really... Roar? But Culloden didn't even KNOW what Zander had done to her. Well, not yet. If he was angry now, what would he say when he really did find out?!

Oh no. He shouldn't have come. Take him to her?!

Uh oh. No. No, he wouldn't do it. He couldn't possibly do it. No. He refused. "I-uh-Okay, Professor," Whoops.

The Beast EYED the boy.

"Go on, then!" WHAT was he waiting for???

O___________O

"I-uh-okay-- let's go to her office, Professor," MERLIN how come there was so much frustration all the time!? Zander even watched his wording this time and everything.

And with that, he started walking (very quickly) towards the stairs. This was going to be one adventure for sure.

And uh, wait a minute! Culloden never confirmed if an antidote could fix her!?

It had taken him a little while to eat himself out of his depression at having FAILED the potions project. The one he ha tried SUPER HARD to do well in. He was a little regretful for having owled the Professor that he would visit soon - having intended to visit him the next day. But he just couldn't. He was mopey, and mopey meetings were never good, so he'd done what he thought was responsible and waited a couple of days to get his feelings under control. Men didn't have girly feelings, he had to make sure he didn't either.

Coming to a stop in front of the Professor's office door, Zeke knocked thrice, and stood back to wait. He dropped his gaze to the floor, but was soon distracted by a loose thread on his robes. Whooops. Where was a lint roller when you needed one?

Cosgrach had just made himself tea when his door was knocked on. He was in his daily robes, and that day's newspaper was on his desk. He was clearly going to read it while drinking tea, but alas - he had a visitor. He sighed, and opened the door without getting up from his throne.

"Come in," he called out.

The letter from Professor Culloden had made Lux so happy. Not only had she done a good job on her potion, but she was also being recommended for The Most Extraordinary Society of Potioneers. That was amazing for her because she wanted to be a potioneer when she grew up.

Already knowing what potion she wanted to brew with the Professor, she knocked on his office door and waited for an answer from him.

Maddison Cooper was NOT the type to skip but she found herself doing EXACTLY that as she made her way to Culloden's office, letter tucked safely in her pocket. Even since she'd received it, the thirteen year old couldn't seem to wipe the silly smile from her face and it was beginning to mess with her rep so the sooner she discussed plans with the potions aficionado, the better.

After knocking a few times on the man's door, Maddie settled down in one of the black chairs. She bounced her knees impatiently and then eyed the red head also waiting.

"Hello." Brows.

Cosgrach was expecting a few visits today, so he was in his office. He smiled when TWO knocks came, and got up to meet them at the door.

"Hello, girls." He grinned at them. "Come in." He moved aside for them to enter. "Take a seat."

Adi was hereeeee!

He had been so stoked when he had received the letter from Professor Culloden. Actually, he still was. Making no effort to calm himself, he raised his left fist to knock on the Professor's door.

Knock, knock, knock!

Also, he would remain standing. He was too happy and excited to take a seat, anyway.