Sabel nodded slowly, watching the minute changes in the boy's expression carefully. "That's some pretty good advice."

Putting the dandelion down between them, he retrieved his wand and cast the spell again. This time it was fire-weed that popped up. Just a few spigots, dotting among the dandelions. Folding his wand back on his lap, Sabel considered the flowers.

"What do you have to be sorry for?" He could hazard a guess, but he didn't care to. Guesses and assumptions could get one in trouble, and if Fuller-Thompson was willing to open up a bit, he might be able to provide a helping hand. Of course, that was only if he wanted help. Some students didn't. Some didn't think they needed any.

Toby watched as more flowers sprang up out of the ground, a different colour this time. He was sure he might usually have been able to name the plant, but currently his thoughts were locked on something else. He continued to twirl the red flower, but stopped when another butterfly flew over and took up temporary residence on top of it.

"For being so negative in your class. And for not wanting to go into the maze to help people. And for getting upset at the end of class." He could go on and on, actually. But there was one other big thing, of course. "And for not even trying to cast a... a patronus." Toby looked up once again, unable to decide just whether he wanted to avoid eye contact or maintain it. "I know it was really impolite and rude and everything and I really do feel bad about it, and I never wanted to be like that in your class, it just sort of happened. And I'm not a negative person and I'm not a 'Dark wizard'-" he said that part firmly, still frankly quite upset by the amount of people in class who'd seemed to believe in all that stuff "-'cause that's impossible. But I just... couldn't do it. And I'm sorry."

That... had been more that Toby had really wanted to say. But though parts of it had been emoted a little strongly, he was quite proud of himself for managing to keep from getting too upset. He looked away, yet again, towards the butterfly, though it was like he wasn't actually seeing it. "I just don't want you to hate me, or think I'm a bad person or student, 'cause of how I was all negative and stuff."

Even if the kid didn't want to keep eye contact, Sabel didn't look anywhere else. All his attention was focused on the young man across from him, and the words stumbling out of his mouth. It was when he mentioned not being a Dark Wizard that some of his seriousness faded for a slight chuckle.

"No, you are quite far from being a Dark Wizard." He wouldn't say it was impossible for anyone, but he could agree that Fuller-Thompson had a very low probability of becoming one. Or at least, becoming a successful one.

Shaking his head, Sabel gave the kid an understanding smile. "I don't hate you, or think of you as a bad person or student. If you read my rules, you would know that I will not ask you to do something you are uncomfortable doing, or not ready to do just yet. What I teach, is for your benefit. What I ask you to try and attempt, is for your gain. What you chose to learn, however, is your choice."

A different way of teaching than they were used to? Probably. Would Truebridge approved of such an off-the-books approach to what was supposed to be academia? He wasn't sure. What he did know was that the kids needed experience, not grades.

Plucking one of the fireweed plants, Sabel ran it through his hand. "I'm sure you had your reasons for your actions and reactions in class. As did the others who struggled or bowed out." If the boy hadn't noticed, he hadn't been entirely alone in his troubled state. "I can't say I was expecting such a emotionally charged class, but given the nature of patronuses, I should have expected it."

Putting down the flower, he picked up his wand again, tucking it away in his sleeve. "The only time I would get upset at you, Fuller-Thomspon, is if you did something to endanger yourself or another. By disobeying my orders or acting in a foolish nature."

Toby might have taken that as a compliment, were he not so set in his views of what was or was not real when it came to all that stuff. But the way Dakest spoke sort of made it clear that it was a thing that existed that he thought Toby wasn't close to, rather than a thing that didn't exist at all. In spite of himself, Toby glanced at the man warily. He was, at least, able to focus on and feel relieved by the revelation that Dakest didn't hate him

"But," he found himself saying, and it was another of those times when Toby's mouth went ahead and said things without prior permission from his brain. "When you asked me to go in the maze and help people if they needed it, and I told you I'd have made things worse - 'cause I would have, Professor - you... you said...-" Ah yes, and now his brain was making an appearance and getting him to shut up, though a little late for that. No, he wouldn't repeat it. It had been upsetting enough the first time. "-... you seemed angry... upset, whatever. I dunno." Didn't matter. Point was, Toby had invoked it. "And it's not that I don't want to learn it. I mean... I'll never use most of the other stuff in the subject, but patronuses-" were useful, and he'd seen that in action "-I always wanted to be able to conjure one." He wanted to explain, he really did, and something was pushing him forward with it while something else held him back. It was exhausting.

Toby slumped a little where he sat, elbow on one knee, propping his head up with his hand and watching the butterflies swoop around, attracted by the flowers. Just thinking and listening and processing. Occasionally, he would glance back at Dakest.

"I did..." Have reasons for what happened in class, that was. Toby chewed on his lip a moment, considering the professor. "But it's not 'cause I'm not happy. I'm super happy. Really. You can ask anyone, they'll tell you." Okay, maybe not anyone, but Toby had been here long enough that most people at least knew OF him and could give that sort of character reference.

At what WOULD upset Professor Dakest? Ah... uh.. haha. Well. There was a long paused before Toby responded simply with, "............ oh." Oh. It wasn't like he had a track record of any of that stuff in school, and he didn't often disobey orders, but what felt like the memories of a thousand impulsive decisions suddenly seemed to flash before Toby's eyes at that moment. "Okay." NOTED.

Speaking of impulsive decisions, Toby suddenly sat up straighter again, and looked right at Dakest.

"I'd like to tell you. Why it was difficult. The lesson, I mean." He'd said it so suddenly he'd surprised himself, and sort of sat there blinking for a moment, belatedly going through that thought process. "I mean, like... can I? At one point? I-I.. I mean..." Flustered, he was suddenly getting flustered again. Toby mentally cursed himself. Brain, what are you /doing/?

A place on the grounds that Yoongi knew was there but did not have time to go to thanks to the hectic studying schedule he had made. But now he found a time in which he had no classes and he did not need to study for his OWLS. The first time he had seen the butterflies and wanted to follow them was at the Lake but as he walked towards the lake right now he realised that the garden was gone.

Wondering if this was part of the magic or if studying was slowly but surely making him crazy, Yoongi decided to walk somewhere else in case he did not have the location right. Finally, after at least fifteen minutes of searching he saw a couple of butterflies fluttering in the air in the distance. He followed them and was soon in the beautiful butterfly garden. This place was perfect for a photoshoot ! If he ever got on the front page of a magazine he would use this location. He would look good with this scenery.

"No, it's not bad." Whyttyr agreed instantly but then thought better of it. "Well, so far, anyway. You know all the stories." So far she seemed to have been transferred to a relatively okay school, but there was the matter of the rest of the term to deal with. She'd realized that no one ever really knew what was going to happen around here next.

But that was a bit of a grand adventure, wasn't it?

With a smile, she looked over at him and nodded. "I'm full of great ideas, you know." Which was very true, okay? She whispered that love thing back and smiled again, it was so nice to know that she would be able to see him almost all the time, it was a good feeling.

Glancing over at Adi, Lux got the feeling that he was tiring of standing still. It was all in the look on his face. She herself could stay like this for a while longer because she loved seeing the butterflies. She also wanted to win this competition. The Bay comment made her snort, however. How fitting it was. She loved the comparison!! "It is a Bay butterfly. Too bad you don't have a yellow flower, so an AJ butterfly can't land on it." She smiled because Gryffinpuff couples were so cute.

"We are very awesome!" More butterflies were coming, and Lux watched them curiously. "Come to me, pretties." Hehe, she wanted them to come and visit her flowers and say hi. They were so pretty and she loved the little butterflies. There was a monarch, and a pretty purple one, and a white one. The white one was coming closer to her. Eeeep.

Ilia wanted some alone time right now.....away from Hufflepuffs. Well, she wouldn't mind Adi's company but she didn't want to be near a certain 5th year Hufflepuff girl. Another certain 4th year puff she was confused if she wanted to be close to or closer to or completely away from so right now she just wanted to think. Creatures were what she needed and quiet. What she found in her search was a beautiful garden filled with flowers and butterflies.

Walking aimlessly , the little blonde snakette lost herself in thought. Her icy blue orbs were absorbing the scenery but she wasn't truly there. Afraid that she would lose herself too deeply as she walked, she found an empty bench. Curling up , she rested her chin on her black jean covered knees and hugged her legs to her chest. Muggle clothing afforded more comfort right now, so she simply wore her black boots and a light white long sleeve top with her jeans.

She barely registered the somewhat familiar , self assuredly pretty Asian boy standing not far away. She waved to him out of habit as she stared at the bushes in front of her.

Ah~ this garden was truly beautiful wasn’t it? The Gryffindor took out a little note pad and scribbled on what he saw. He would need it later in life. Getting officially photographed at beautiful places was one of his lives mission. He had more of course than just getting on the cover of a magazine. But that one would be the best.

He wrote down bits of what he saw and as he turned around he noticed Ilia waving at him. Wow..she …totally did not look like she belonged in this beautiful scenery. Too much clouds surrounded her. Pocketing his note pad, Yoongi styled his hair with his hand and walked towards her.

Without asking, the fifteen year old sat down beside her on the bench and leaned back. “Penny for your thoughts?” he asked as he looked at her hugging form.

"Nothing's gonna happen to you." He knew the school could be dangerous. A kid did die last term but he wouldn't let a thing happen to Whytty. Not that he could control everything. But that wouldn't stop him from trying to do anything for her. "The stories are probably a million times more dramatic than they were." Which he was only a little sure was the truth.

That made him grin as it often did. "I know you are. I love your ideas." His arm moved around her and pulled her a little closer. it was good to have her here. It made him feel calm, at peace. His mind wasn't always somewhere else. It was right here in the moment where it should be.

Ah yes. That little, brief talk he had given the kid in class. Despite the seriousness of their conversation, Sabel found himself chuckling a little. "When I was your age, there was a Professor who often took the same tone with me. One thing I learned, was to tell the difference when he was imparting advice and trying to make me think about what I was doing, and when he was trully angry with me." The amusement lasted for a moment, a brief flicker in his eyes. "Trust me, you'll know if I'm angry with you."

And he could have chosen to get frustrated with the boy's lack of interest in taking a lot of the DADA lessons to heart. It would save his hide one day, of that he was almost certain. But there was the faint incling that his reluctance was somehow linked to the 'people-don't-do-stuff-like-that' sentiment, and so he let it rest. There was a time and place, and this wasn't either for such a line of discussion.

"I believe most students wanted to learn the patronus, regardless of their actions and displays during the class. Otherwise, they would have walked out on first hearing of the lesson topic." Fuller-Thompson included. Whatever the boy's reason or reasons, it was clear it weighed heavily on him.

And so he sat, waiting patiently for the kid to sort his thoughts out. Happy was not yet a thing he had personally witnessed from the boy, but it was clearly reflected in the beautiful flowers that he had created. One of purely dark thoughts could hardly conjure something so gentle. He moved to pluck another one of the fireweeds when the kid's sudden energy had him pausing, glancing up to meet his gaze.

The confidence of Fuller-Thompson's conviction was, even if short lived, refreshing. It was like a crack in the surface of the ice, an opening that had to be treated carefully and with the utmost respect. Already, he was retreating behind walls.

Sabel let out a breath and straightened a little. "I'm good at keeping secrets." And he assumed that's what Fuller-Thompson was looking for. A confidant. Even if he wasn't, it was always reassuring to know there was one around. "You are welcome to tell me, whenever you would like. Whenever, and if ever, you feel ready."

Toby watched Dakest, and he couldn't help but feel immediately relieved by the chuckle, even if it did seem misplaced. He didn't understand quite why he was laughing, but laughter was GOOD. It meant happy, after all. He focused on that as he listened.

Though... listening wasn't really all that enlightening. Toby just sort of... blinked at the professor as he spoke, trying to understand how... any of that made any sense. There was a long few moments of blink-y silence before he spoke. "That's... super confusing, Professor. Really actually super confusing." But he smiled a little all the same. In any case, fortunately, he had a lot experience trying to riddle out the confusing ways of some other people he knew. Unfortunately, he'd... never actually managed it.

Toby wasn't sure he believed that any student would have walked out of the classroom in that scenario. 'Cause that was dead impolite and rude and everything. Except then he remembered how he'd walked out of class before, even if it was only a few minutes towards the end, and so... decided to stay quiet on that one. Ahem. Fiddling absentmindedly with the flower he held, he simply nodded.

That Dakest was good at keeping secrets... was a very reassuring thing to hear. Toby was very private, and didn't share a whole lot of information so easily, but he trusted Dakest already (perhaps a little TOO easily, but hey, nothing new there). And though he liked to believe that everyone could be trusted with a secret, he'd come to learn that that wasn't always true. Toby nodded again, and began distractedly biting at the nails of his left hand (not that there was much left to bite at anymore), thinking hard, and ignoring the bitter plant taste that was a result of handling so many flowers.

"I will," he said finally, and he meant it too, though the words ended up sounding a lot less certain than he'd intended them to. "Soon... eventually, probably, I mean... yeah. Although..." Toby finally set the flower down, very gently, and picked up his wand from where he'd dropped it into the grass at one point, spinning it deftly between his fingers again before putting it back in its holster. "It's... you'll probably think it's dead stupid, really. Big deal over nothing. And it won't make any sense; a lot of the things I say never really do." He still wanted to talk to him, though. Just... he wasn't sure he'd have the emotional energy to go through it all today. "But... so, like... I can talk to you again, then? About this stuff?" Toby asked, tentatively.

Ilia was slightly shaken from her enclosed state when the boy simply sat down beside her and made himself comfortable. Penny??? Oh, that was muggle money. She looked him over, analyzing his face. "There are too many of them. You might go for broke." She said fairly simply and tilted her gaze to watch him. "How are you, Yoongi?" That was the polite thing to say right? Stay out of my bubble and get off my bench certainly wasn't.......she might need distraction versus overthinking anyways. She could get to know the boy better, he was outgoing enough.

"I'm still alive but I'm barely breathing.'' The lyrics of that old song by The Script came to Adi just like that. Why? Because standing there still for a few minutes certainly felt like that. But luckily, his friend was distracting him with her chatter. "Yes, it is! Hiiii, Bay,'' he whispered, his eyes trained on the red butterfly. But then he was laughing softly. "I know. I wonder if an AJ butterfly would prefer to land on chocolate though.'' Haha. Him and his silly thoughts. And there was something else to add to the list that he and Lux had in common: they were both dating Lions.

Great, majestic Hippogriffs! It seemed as though Lux was indeed having all the luck with attracting more butterflies! Now, this was fine by Adi. They probably liked her more than the flowers. "I think they like your hair a lot.'' It was bright red and there were a few hovering around her head. Anywaaay, about his own butterflies! So far he had attracted a few more dark coloured ones. One of these had just landed on his nose, actually. Adi looked down at it. "Hi, there!''

Uh oh.

His nose was starting to itch! You knew what that meant, right? He might sneeze and send all the butterflies zooming away!

Oh boy, teenage angst.

Yoongi looked back at Ilia as she said that she had too many troubles at the moment. "I didn't mean i would actually give you money...i just ...it's an expression where..ah nevermind" he sat with his elbows on his knees now and turned his head to the side to look at her. "Me?" he asked. "Oh i'm good, bit stressed about OWLS already but i'm managing it" he laughed humourlessly.

She really looked kind of troubled but he also knew the feeling of annoyance when someone kept asking what was wrong. "Well, if you ever need to talk about something you can always come to Curious Yoongi " he flashed a smile showing teeth. "This place is beautiful isn't it, you know anything about flowers or butterflies?" he asked in a change of subject.

LOL! Adi called the butterfly Bay. It was hard for Lux to keep from laughing, because her boyfriend was a lion, not a butterfly. HER lion, in fact. Silly Adi, but she loved her Bay butterfly! And she was sure that an AJ butterfly would prefer to land on his flower. "I don't know. I get the idea that your girlfriend is pretty fond of you." Wink. They were a very cute couple, and Lux could definitely see them lasting forever. Unfortunately that didn't seem to happen very often these days.

ALLLLL the butterflies were coming towards her!!

It was like there was a party on her hand or something. Actually, not her hand because they were landing on her head. "I think you're right." She had to speak really quietly so as not to scare any of them away.

Awww, one landed on his nose. Even though it wasn't red, maybe that was the AJ butterfly. "Heeeeey, AJ."

Adi grinned teasingly at Lux. Her Bay Butterfly was with her now. "She has to be because I'm one of a kind,'' he joked, still hardly moving his lips. Yes, AJ was fond of him as much as he was fond of her. Or maybe he was even more fond of her. All he knew was that he had gotten very attached to her and he couldn't imagine being without her.

The boy could no longer pay attention to Lux and her butterflies. His nose TICKLED, yo! "Not going to sneeze, not going to snee-''

Strike that!

"ACHOO!''

BAM! Just like that all the butterflies on him fluttered hastily away. Adi rubbed his head and looked sheepishly at Lux but then of course he had to crack a joke. "You bribed that one that landed on my nose, didn't you? So that I would sneeze and you'll win?'' Hehe. AS IF! Lux played fair like most if not all Hufflepuffs. "You still win though. That Bay Butterfly brought you good luck.''

By now Maddox had given up on the idea of ever finding the butterfly garden of his own will. It was never where he'd last seen it and circling the grounds just to find a bunch of plants and insects was not exactly how he planned to spend any day. That being said, by some odd turn of events the Charms Professor did end up here and he wouldn't be complaining.

Peaceful little place wasn't it?

Oh, hello there. His eyes followed the fluttering motion of a bright orange butterfly as it went by. Before he knew it, he was shrinking into the shape of a black cat, hopping about in chase. It was quite the lovely thing, it was. Up onto the bench, tail flicking this way and that, he watched...waiting to pounce.

Almost...there...just a little more...

She gave Yoongi an apologetic smile at his explanation. "I'm sorry, I am not very familiar with muggle terms. Not my best subject." She hadn't been around many muggles, so her understanding of their terms and turn of phrase often eluded the fourteen year old. When he leaned forward and adjusted himself, Ilia loosened herself up a bit and extended her legs so that her feet touched the ground. She was still tucked to the side of the bench, but she wasn't curled into a ball anymore. That was right....he was just a little older than her and had O.W.L.s approaching. She would be having them next year. "Why are you stressed? Is there a subject concerning you?" Everyone had that one subject that was more of a challenge to grasp than the others.........like muggle studies........

"Curious Yoongi?" Her expression went from somewhat blank to quizzical. Was he naming himself this or joking with her? At least she was starting to become comfortable enough around him to not shut him out like she had at the ice cream parlor.......She wasn't sure if she felt comfortable enough to really tell him all or even any of what was going on her mind though. He saved them both from that thought however when he asked if she knew anything about flowers or butterflies. She smiled softly at him. "Much more than about muggle phrases." Joking was good right? But no seriously......"Creatures, Potions, and Herbology are my best subjects. What would you like to know about them?" She could probably at least point him in the right direction.

They were kinda freaking him out to be honest.

Zeke was only too happy to GET. AWAY. FROM. THIS. PLACE... because it was too girly, it was hurting his maleness, he could feel it. But before he got the chance to take great strides away from the butterfly haven this happened to be, a voice stopped him.

Oh...

A little Gryffindor, he remembered her from the sorting ceremony, but couldn't recall her name. "Hi," he replied out of habit.

As for how many types of butterflies there were. "Too many," yep, THAT was the obvious answer. And at this point he was ready to leave the girl be, let her frolic with the butterflies and he could head back to the castle for some food. But apparently not.

"Alright I suppose," he replied to the girls question, and because he did have manners, he returned it, "how about yourself?"

Sabel shook his head. Either the kid had never experienced someone truly angry, or he had always experienced someone angry and never one inclined to stern advice. He hoped for the former, and dreaded the possibility of the later. "One day, I'm sure it will."

Still plenty of time to figure out the super confusing, and the generally confusing. That's what the young years were for after all.

His smile lightened and he shook his head, turning the stem of the flower slowly about in his hands. "There are no stupid reasons, Fuller-Thompson." Really, he was just going to have to start calling kids by their first names. Habit was getting tedious. "Just reasons. Find me whenever you are ready."

Putting the flower across his knees, Sabel extended his hand for a handshake, a promise of sorts. Even if the kid was graduated by the time he was ready, his word still stood.

Uh huh.

Lux mentally rolled her eyes in amusement. She didn't want to scare the butterflies away with any movement, so there was no way that Adi would make her laugh with any of his silliness. "You are one of a kind. Especially to her." He was her boyfriend after all.

...But apparently that wasn't enough to get AJ butterfly stay on his nose. Wow, that had been quite a sneeze. But look, the Bay butterfly was still hanging around - as were a few of the ones on her hair. "I think you are the Gryffindors of the butterfly world." Maybe that HADN'T been an AJ butterfly after all; she wouldn't have flown off at the first sign of potential danger.

"I won fair and square!" Sticking her tongue out, she knew that he was joking. "Bay butterfly just loves me is all." LOL.

That head shaking? Still confusing, but Toby didn't even point it out at this point. He was relatively certain that Dakest knew how confusing he found him in general, or perhaps it wasn't just a thing exclusive to Toby. Maybe he was just a confusing sort of guy to EVERYONE, in which case he almost definitely already knew.

"That's not what I was taught," he replied, speaking quite casually as he again surveyed his collection of flowers. He wouldn't get into it, though, because it was hardly something he dwelled on, and he was still unlearning those sorts of things. "But I believe you. If you say so, y'know?" Not even a hint of sarcasm touched Toby's voice.

Movement made him look back up again, and he saw Dakest's outstretched hand. He hesitated for only a split second, long enough for his brain to go through a multitude of thoughts, then reached out and shook it. "Okay." He nodded. And smiled. "Thanks, sir."

"It's what I believe." Sabel offered a shrug devoid of concern. It made for a curious question what type of environment Fuller-Thompson had grown up in, with all aspects of his character considered, but it was not a question Sabel felt permitted to ask. As he had said, when the boy was ready.

But he had his trust, at least? That was good enough. At least, here, the kid could find some safety. He gave him a smile and nodded. "I know."

His smile grew a little as the kid accepted and returned the handshake. "My thanks to you Mr. Fuller-Thompson. I am looking forward to conjuring some beautiful flowers for my daughter."

Taking his hand back, he pushed himself to his feet, turning to go. A thought paused him, and he shared a knowing grin. "If you happen to know any other unique spells, I'd be more than interested in learning them. Last Christmas I was taught by one of your fellow students how to create dragons from stones."

With a brief wave, he turned and started off, back towards Hogwarts, resisting the urge to plant pockets of dandelions as he went. Didn't expect the Groundskeeper would be too happy with that.

Adi was pleased Lux had agreed with him. He thought of everyone as one of a kind in their own way. But right now he was looking at the butterflies in disappointment as they fluttered frantically away from him. "Hey, guys! Come back and let me love you!'' Hehe. But look at Lux, yo! It didn't as though a single one of them had been affected by his sneeze.

"It's your hair. It's so bright.'' Adi held up his hands to his eyes as though pretending to shield his peepers from any glare from Lux's hair. "Maybeee! But I think the Bay Butterfly had something to do with it.'' He stuck out his tongue too and pretended to squint suspiciously at the red butterfly.

"I'm just joking. Yep, you did win fairly. Sooo, what do I have to do?" It must be getting Lux a ton of chocolate frogs or cookies or something along that line, riiiight?