Watching AJ, Lux could see that whatever was wrong was serious and not just because the girl had bumped into her without realizing. To hear that she was right in thinking this involved Adi wasn't surprising, but it was sad. They were such a good couple and she wholly supported their relationship.

The redhead pulled her friend into a hug. "I'm sorry. I'm sure things will get better and you two will have a stronger relationship than before."Most couples had arguments she was sure, but her and Bay were a rare exception because they had never argued even when they were only friends.

AJ had no intentions of talking to anybody about this, but it had to be said that it felt good to finally get this off of her chest. Sure, it didn't solve her problems, but it helped with the heavy feeling she had been carrying around.

Lux was such a good friend, and she clung to her and a tiny tear streaked down her face. She had been strong for so long, and she was hurting. Before she released herself from the hug, she wiper her face. Didn't need anyone thinking she was a wimp. "I hope you're right." They had never fought before. They had a relationship that was out of this world. Why now? "He's not just my boyfriend, he's my best friend too." It would be a devastating loss to no longer have Adi apart of her life.

Poor AJ. Lux knew it was probably very hard for her right now because the a Gryffindor was always so strong and put together. Frowning, she lightly patted her friend's back, hoping that it offered some comfort.

Seeing AJ wipe her eyes, Lux reached into her bag and pulled out a tissue. "Here." It was okay to be sad because it happened to everyone at one point or another even though she was lucky to never have fought with Bay. "I know he is, and I know you two will get past this because you have shared so much together." They were one of the strongest couples she knew.

From he was he telling her, it seemed that his cat had only disappeared this morning. At least he was able to figure that out quickly enough, Sebastian however liked to do whatever he pleased whether it was hiding from Josette around her dorm or, climbing onto the most unnecessary places where she couldn't reach him. But perhaps this boy's cat wasn't as meddlesome as Bastian was? She nodded, posters might work, it would at least give most people an idea as to what his cat looked like.

Taking one more quick glance around the lounge, she also had come to the conclusion that his cat was not up here either. Her attention was once again on him as he had asked her if she had found her cat. She nodded, "I-I did, well technically, my f-friend found him...W-We're actually not really sure where he w-was..M-My friend had used the summoning c-charm to bring him to us.." She remembered how she felt that day, she was very happy her siamese friend was back in arms, but very flustered that he had run off like that. Ever since that day, she'd done her best to keep a close eye on her troublesome friend.

..Minus a slight incident that had happened on the Hogwarts Express, but she wasn't going to go into detail with that at the moment.

It was pointless. Rolo wasn't up here, and clearly, Finn would not be finding him any time soon. Besides, he should probably be able to find his way around. Now, the girl, it would be rude to leave her, yes? Now that they'd had a little conversation in the works.

He listened to her story, nodding here or there to show his attention to it, and perhaps to let the girl know that she didn't have to be so nervous. Like little nods of polite encouragement, that sounded nice. But then, oh no, she did not just say that. "Summon!" All trace of Finn's quiet voice was gone and suddenly replaced with a loudness, and disbelief that was not usual within him. Did she not know the dangers of summoning animals? What it had done to her poor kitten, he must've been terrified. Finn let out a slow breath to try and regain his original composure, relaxed. "That's... that's dangerous. Weren't you you scared some-something could've hap-pened to him?" Like smack against a wall or a suit of armor, or the kitten's heart rate increased due to the fact it was forcefully summoned? Breattheee. "I-I mean, at least.. you found him." He added quickly.

Was she rambling? She couldn't tell, it sounded like she might have been & wasn't sure if she should perhaps find the strength to stop her mouth from speaking too much. Although, maybe she wasn't doing this rambling & could have been talking a normal amount of words? Or maybe she could just stop all of this thinking she was doing & just- OH he yelling now! And her first instinct was jumping in her seat & immediately covering her ears for a moment until she had noticed he was speaking in a softer tone. She frowned a bit as he spoke & then agreed, "I-I was afraid of that too..But h-he wasn't that far from w-where we were..H-He didn't get hurt.." She bit her lip, "H-He's fine..P-Promise..I-I can show y-you if you'd like.."

She could take him to Ravenclaw Tower right now if he didn't believe her! Sebastian wasn't a normal cat, he was a very odd cat! Odd cats don't get hurt! At least, Sebastian didn't.

Who would have thought that she actually craved comfort in this situation? AJ was always strong, and could always figure things out without the help of anyone else. Feeling Lux care and comfort her made her realize that sometimes it is better to talk it out.

Oh no. She was not going to have a crying attack at the sight of tissues. Why did that happen anyways? Or maybe she was so emotional because Lux seemed to really care. "Thanks," she said as she took the tissue from her friend. Her bottom jaw clenched as she tried to fight back the tears.

"Thanks for saying that." It meant more than she could possibly know. AJ had to keep reminding herself that this would blow over. She would have to give Adi the change to talk to her though, instead of blowing him off. "We just need to talk." And not get into a "who can yell the loudest" match.

And, now, Finn felt bad for his sudden outburst just moments ago. The girl seemed to have gone into protection mode or something like that, because she almost looked smaller with the way she had reacted. He grimaced to himself for having brought this upon her when he really hadn't meant to. "S-sorry, sorry, sorry... I...I didn't meant to.. to up-upset you." He gave her an apologetic look, hoping that would ease her a bit. But, it looked like she was back to normal in no time, or at least her posture.

"Oh...well, he-he didn't get hurt. So.. yeah, that's... that's good." Finn said, giving her a ton of nods. As long as there was no animal injuries then... that's all that mattered. "No, no, no, no. That's... that's ok." She didn't have to show him her cat. Unless she had pictures on her? "What.. what type of cat.. yeah, what is he?" Unless...., was this crossing the border, rude maybe? Asking her slightly more personal questions when it wasn't in his place to be doing so.

Really, all those things she was listing were weak arguments when it come to Thompson. Toby had never been scared of the man, never had any reason to be, even though his arms were probably bigger than Toby himself. Dude was a teddy bear.

"I like his eyebrows," the sixth year replied, almost thoughtfully, as he lightly pressed down on one of the piano keys to see how quietly he could play the note, or if he could press it without playing it at all. Toby kept his eyes on the piano even as he spoke again. "I know that." Really, it was more the other way around. "Though, y'know... I'm pretty sure he gets to go back home every night anyway." At that, Toby pressed the key perhaps a little too hard, and the note rang out louder than he'd been expecting. After that, Toby drew his hand back and didn't touch the piano keys again.

But yeah. The present. Toby passed it backwards and forwards between his hands for a moment, out of habit, watching the reflection of the room move about with the mirror. He was quiet for a moment. Contemplative? It was unclear, but definitely quiet.

"Thank you," he said at last, holding the mirror still for a moment. "It's awesome, really." Toby smiled at her, and it was genuine, but he couldn't help but feel a horrible tug somewhere in his chest at the news that she'd already tested it out. It was an ugly sort of feeling, and one he could only identify as having felt one other time in his whole life, back when he found out that basically everyone had known that Piers was leaving Hogwarts but him. But thinking about that still hurt a little bit, so he pushed all those thoughts and feelings away, with the kind of practice of someone who'd been doing so all his life.

Toby thought for a moment about trying the mirror out now, but the thought of using it, of seeing him and being so far away, and at a time when his emotions felt so wobbly and tears seemed to be perpetually threatening to spring, he knew it would be too painful. "But you keep hold of it." Toby it back over, as though it were some sort of volatile creature that might bite and/or blow up on him. He knew if he kept it he'd be more likely to use it, and if he used it and spoke to him then Piers would use his weird, superhuman perception and realise something was up. "For now. We'll take turns. Maybe we can test it later. After dinner."

Which was soon, hopefully.

"His eyebrows are gross," she replied matter-of-factly, a grin creeping onto her lips despite her bitter sort of tone as she watched him play with the piano keys. It was SO fascinating to see his thought processes through his eyes and facial expressions, like with how his current mannerisms and thought processes were easy to gauge based upon the way he reacted to pressing on one of the piano keys a bit harder than he seemed to anticipate. "Maybe, but... Piers still said it's hard for him. Harder for you, though, I bet, since y'don't get to go home like him all the time. I mean, really, he should take one for the team and have to resist cold turkey like you and endure the pain of being away along with you. He's cheating." Her tone was lighthearted now and it was a very lame attempt at making light of the situation.

...He wanted her to keep hold of it? "But..." She wanted him to have it and for him to have a go. But... she noticed something sort of unfamiliar in his eyes, an emotion she quite couldn't put her finger on to identify, so she didn't argue at the moment. She was too perplexed by him not accepting the mirror with great enthusiasm and him seemingly not wanting to call Piers right away, which is what she thought he'd want to do. Was something... wrong?

Oh. After dinner. "Okay," she smiled, setting the mirror back down in her lap and stroking a finger lightly over the twisting engravings along the outside of it. "I still have your other presents. D'you want them now, even though it's a bit early still, or d'you want me to wait for your actual birthday?" Personally, she didn't WANT to wait and wanting to shower him with love in the form of her cheesy gifts, but she figured she already knew the answer.

She did tuck the mirror into her bag, though, and gathered her sheet music to then place inside as well so he knew she was ready to leave, and offered him her hand to go for when they left. It wasn't that she didn't want to stay, because the room was lovely and she quite enjoyed the ambiance of it, but she didn't want Flamsteed to walk in on them and get all flustered and weird on them. They knew better.

Smiling, Lux was glad when AJ took the tissue from her. Good thing she always carried them around; it was something she had learned from Tessa, who always seemed to have everything on hand when something was needed. Because of her, she carried everything in her purse, which she had charmed so that the inside was magically expanded.

It was nice to see that her words were helping at least a little. "I mean everything I say. Sometimes relationships can be hard, but getting through the rough patches can make them stronger. I am sure that he would be willing to talk you you." It was ADI they were talking about after all.

AJ eyed Lux's purse and thought that she seemed to be prepared. She on the other hand didn't carry a purse so having these kinds of things on her was not a possibility. Sure, she could shove things into her backpack, but who wanted to carry that around everywhere they went? Of course the same could be said for the purse thing. "It doesn't hurt your shoulder?" she asked pointing to her purse. The moment she asked though she felt dumb. Magic, AJ. This was a magical school.

The lion bit her bottom lip as Lux continued to comfort her. The things she said really did make sense. Her and Adi already had a really strong relationship so maybe this little bump in the road would make it that much stronger. "I kind of blew him off when he tried talking to me." She was still really mad at the time, and thought that she had been in the right. Plus, she was just too stubborn. "Maybe I will try to talk to him." Adi was a very patient and understanding guy so she doubted he would blow her off.

She was freaking out internally for this. And she felt like such a terrible person, judging by the way the boy's expression & his voice. But she did feel better when he was speaking in his softer tone & was apologizing to her. Josie quickly shook her head though as he spoke & replied, "I-It's alright..I probably w-would've reacted the same w-way..i-if I had h-heard someone say that t-to me..I-It's not y-your fault..."

Josie nodded in agreement with Finn saying it was good that Bastian didn't get hurt. And she relaxed a little bit more as Finn told her she didn't have to prove to him that Bastian was unharmed, even though she was more than prepared to show him. She nervously fidgeted with her hair a little bit until she had heard him ask what kind of cat Bastian was. Which there was actually something she'd discovered about her odd cat a few days ago. "H-He's a Siamese..B-But I d-discovered that he h-has a bit o-of a K-Kneazle in h-his family cat tree...S-So he's Half-Siamese & H-Half-Kneazle.."

Would definitely explain Sebastian's odd behavior. From what she'd heard, Kneazles were VERY smart creatures, way smarter than any normal cat with personalities of their own! Not to mention, their ability to detect untrustworthy people. Actually come to think of it, he does act rather odd around her father & starts hissing & tries to attack him when he is around. But Josie's father wasn't a huge fan of Sebastian either, so she didn't think anything of it really. It was just a mutual disliking towards one another, right? Nothing too out of the ordinary? Right?

The random question confused Lux for a moment but almost immediately she realized that AJ had been talking about her purse. "Not at all. The inside is magically expanded." Holding her purse out, she let her young friend see all the things she had placed in there. "One of my friends taught it to me ages ago and it has been very useful." She also did that to her suitcase so that she didn't have to carry a lot of bags while travelling.

It was interesting to hear that AJ had blown Adi off, and honestly Lux could understand it because sometimes it was a natural reaction to try and avoid issues when they came up. "That's a good idea. I'm sure he will understand why you blew him off.

Toby couldn't help but feel a great sense of relief at Soph's 'okay', though he wasn't entirely able to say why. He gave her another smile, a bigger one this time, and tried to get across all the unspoken gratitude he owed her for... well... everything. All the things he was unwilling to talk about. More than anything, he just wanted her to know that he did not take her or her gift for granted. That he appreciated them and loved them. That he truly did not mean to be selfish. Maybe later, when they were less at risk of anyone else walking in on the conversation, he'd say it all out loud, and then some.

"Let's do them on my birthday," he said at last, pressing delicately on the keys some more, though glancing back up at Soph more often. "Or maybe later, after we talk to Piers. Or tomorrow. Whenever, I don't mind." Toby pressed the last key, a low one, firmly, with a note (haha) of finality. "Let's go get some food right now. M'starving."

Toby stood also, and took Soph's hand. But instead of leading them out, he brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it. The Hufflepuff looked right at Sophie Brown with a look of sincerity in his eyes.

"Thank you," he said.

When Lux opened up her purse, AJ peered into it and was pretty impressed. "I'm not a purse person, but that's pretty cool." If she had to go somewhere that would be pretty handy. She could stuff it full, and it would still be light. "Maybe you can show me sometime." It didn't have to be a purse, right? AJ could do that to a bag. It would make life so much easier.

The whole purse talk almost made her forget about Adi. It was stupid to assume that the emotions wouldn't come flooding back as soon as the conversation stopped. It didn't help that they were back on the subject either. "I hope so." She knew Adi, and surely he would hear her out. Not to mention that she was the only one in the wrong here. "Thanks for the talk, Lux. I really appreciate it." Maybe she should go and get her man back. "I'll catch you later."

One minute they were heading down from the astronomy tower from Professor Flamsteed's seating area outside his office to rescue Professor Quigley from the transfiguration office. The next...his head of house was hurriedly telling him to head towards the innovation lounge. It all happened pretty fast so if Benny hadn't been appearing winded before by his actions, the Gryffindor certainly was now. Especially when he had nearly forgotten where the place in question was in his haste and nearly had to double back.

Alas, he was there where he was told to be to wait for the hopefully two professors that were coming after him. The fifth year Gryffindor working on catching his breathe from his final sprint as he stopped in place for the time being.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Holmesian Feline

One minute they were heading down from the astronomy tower from Professor Flamsteed's seating area outside his office to rescue Professor Quigley from the transfiguration office. The next...his head of house was hurriedly telling him to head towards the innovation lounge. It all happened pretty fast so if Benny hadn't been appearing winded before by his actions, the Gryffindor certainly was now. Especially when he had nearly forgotten where the place in question was in his haste and nearly had to double back.

Alas, he was there where he was told to be to wait for the hopefully two professors that were coming after him. The fifth year Gryffindor working on catching his breathe from his final sprint as he stopped in place for the time being.

RUN RUN RUN RUN RUUUUUUUUUUUUN!

Taking several steps at a time on the moving staircase - quite a feet when one got to thinking about it considering those things were still moving at ludicrous speed at present - but had had done so and only managed to drop the box once. Okay twice. But it really hadn't been that bad. Box hadn't dropped upside down or anything, so not to worry there Maddox. No bruised toad head for you!

Turning the bend, the astronomer spotted Mr. Atreyu and - with one last huff and puff - grabbed the boy's arm and tugged the young man a little further inside, dropped the box on top of the piano, and whipped out his wand to flick it haphazardly towards the door to shut it. "Al....right," he said, his voice filled with a mixture of exhaustion and adrenaline, and he leaned forward with both hands on his knees to help him catch his breath. "That will do it." He gave the door a quick wave with his wand once more, sealing the entrance so it wouldn't appear to anyone outside - one of his more handy little tricks that he found especially useful from time to time. "Now....HYUUUUUU...while I catch my breath here...why don't you take Professor Maddox out of the box and, er, set him on the sofa over there."

Transfiguration spells....hmmm...he had never been the proficient of the two of them at that genera of magic.

"And...perhaps you should start from the begging...you said you were in Professor Bellaire's office when this happened? What in Merlin's beard did he do to provoke this?"

Woooooooah too many words and not enough catching of the breath. Woooooooah.

He would NOT be deterred by the falls--as painful as they were--because this was still a rescue mission and his most precious wand was still back in his office which MEANT that he won and Sophia lost.

Teehee.

At the moment he didn't know where they were, still being in the box and all but the man--er...toad? (that wouldn't catch on any time soon) was bouncing about eagerly in the box.

Yeeessss, let him out! It was cramped in here and oddly enough he was missing even his heightened sense of smell.

What WAS this life without all those things he'd acquired through an accident and how did he used to survive?

Benny heard the sound of running feet and had turned his head just as Flamsteed grabbed his arm and pulled. He followed obediantly, hearing the door close behind him. At least this time it was to protect him and not box him in as a threat. Box...shiver. The Gryffindor supposed he had it better being free and not a toad. Recovered himself from his rush, he watched the astronomy professor with a touch of concern, about to ask after him when the man managed to speak.

Free Maddox...Quigley...right.

The fifth year moved to the box that rested on the piano and opened it up to reveal the slightly shaken toad. He tentatively lifted up the human-turned creature before crossing to the mentioned couch and setting him down upon the cushions. As he stepped back, Benny heard Professor Flamsteed's questions about what happened, nervous again as the beginning was mentioned, the part of the story that involved him doing something he probably shouldn't have taken part in.

"We were leaving her some butterflies to decorate her office for spring," he answered, the words the only thing he thought of that made sense at first. "Professor Bellaire came in and caught us and Professor Quigley might have pushed her a little too far."

Okay...now THAT was hilarious. Sweet solstice he wished he had a camera on his person at the moment. That would make a stellar picture for the yearbook right there. But...alas...

"Butterflies?" the astronomer deadpanned, his eyes snapping back towards the Gryffindor. "In Professor Bellaire's office?" More deadpanning. Sweet solstice, it wasn't only prefects acting beyond Gryffindor stupidity this term. "Would have been more poetic justice if she had transfigured you into a butterfly, you know," he mused, glancing over his shoulder now at Maddox. Although that would not do much for his longevity.

"Alright, well, first things first. Best get your Charms professor back in working condition." Forgive him for not offering up a bit of practical application on your spellwork, Mr. Atreyu. Best to leave this sort of thing to the, er, professionals. Which hopefully he was....ahem.

Clearing his throat and standing with his legs shoulders' width apart, he cocked his neck back and forth to either side and stretched his arms. Alright....here goes nothing...

Just a little wave of the wand.....

Welcome back, Maddox?

Maddox was most relieved the moment he was removed from the box and placed on the cushions. THIS was much better, so so so much better. As patiently as he could (which wasn't all that patient he'll admit) he remained still giving Airey less of a chance to mess this up.

Just like earlier, he could feel himself twisting and changing until finally he had HANDS AND LEGS AND THE WHOLE NINE YARDS!!!

The Charms Professor flew up from the cushions immediately and went to forcibly pull Airey into a hug. "Thank Merlin! You're a life saver, mate." It was a real tight, I saw my life flash before my eyes, you have no idea how awful it was in the box kinda hug while he revelled in the fact he could properly smell again and caught most noises. Was it possible to explain the relief? The swinging tail behind him might of but the man was completely unaware.

After a reeeeeally long time of just happy hugging whether Airey appreciated it or not, he let go and grinned over at his student accomplice. "Brilliant work today Mister Atreyu. Unfortunate what happened to your wand but it's nothing we can't deal with." The point was, they got her GOOD.

Ben nodded in confirmation, first once at the question of butterflies and then again when the question applied to the location of Bellaire's office. Hindsight was certainly 20/20 here when the Gryffindor put it all together in his head. Everyone else would likely have appreciated the friendly gesture...Bellaire was not one of them. Then the headmistress wasn't likely one either if he thought about it, but that was a mute point to think about.

Him...as a butterfly?

"I know..." he stated simply as he stuffed his hands into his pockets for lack of something else to do with them. The urge to play with his hands and nails was high as a distraction as he felt bad about his actions.

Benny stepped further back from the couch as Flamsteed mentioned returning Quigley back to normal. It wasn't as if he would himself be any use to the matter, both because of his wand-less stature and less experience. He watched and waited as his head of house went to work, the fifth year biting the inside of his cheek as they awaited the results. The reverse of what had happened before in the woman's office and eventually the toad was back being a man.

A man bear-hugging his fellow professor.

That was a relief. He just wished he could feel more pleased with the compliment directed his way. "Um...thanks," the Gryffindor managed, biting back a sigh at the reminder of his lack of wand.

Life savor. Right. Well, Airey would say that Maddox would have done the same, but there was a bit of uncertainty as to whether or not he actually WOULD because of the amount of effort it took to go down the stairs alone.

"Yes, well, you hopefully would do the same for me," he chuckled, adding a wink for good measure. Eyeing the pair of them, he gestured towards the sofa. "And for Merlin's sake will you tuck THAT away," he continued while making all sorts of grand gestures towards the tail. "You're getting your fur everywhere!"

Honestly. It was the least that the fellow could do.

Wand? Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaat....

"What happened to your wand, Mr. Atreyu?" he question, blue eyes darting between the young man and Maddox. "You both best start from the beginning because you looped me into this...whatever this is and I ought to know." Cue some more hand waving and gesturing in various directions, namely towards the sofa again. "I'll....er...prepare some tea."

Which one of them was going first? Hmmm?

Alas, the boy didn't seem as pleased by their victory. Shame that. He wasn't the only one meant to be enjoying this. "We will get it back, you know." The boy's melancholy threatened to ruin the man's fun completely. Perhaps HE should have been given the alihotsy-ed apple. Merlin.

Maddox turned his attention back to Airey, a cheshire grin spread across his face, displaying canines and all. "Of course I would, mate. Can't have you becoming the woman's next meal." The only circumstance that might cast doubt would perhaps be something with ridiculous heights and terrifying reminders of heights he would have to face to get there in which case...he'd send help. In the end Airey would still be saved.

His brows creased at the order to tuck something away. Tuck...what away? Maddox twisted where he stood. That was when he spotted the fury little devil swishing contentedly. "Oh. Apologies." Well wasn't that embarrassing? The Charms Professor made quick work of vanishing it before plopping down leisurely on the cushions of the couch once more.

"It was brilliant, Airey you should have been there. I found Mister Atreyu while chasing butterflies along the grounds and a right shot of chivalry and good will hit me." He lied, excited by past events. "So from the goodness of our hearts we decided we'd make her a butterfly garden, fountain and everything, would you believe it? Then she came in wand blazing, threatening our lives and being overall nasty. She'd have hung us both if I hadn't distracted her long enough for Benjamin here to escape."

That was BASICALLY how it went so....yes.