...Eden for once wasn't nervous to speak to the headmistress. Even EVEN EVEN if she was sassy the last time they interacted, it was okay? Right? RIGHT?

The Ravenclaw waited...and...wondered if she should just...wait to be told to go in? She had important and SERIOUS matters to discuss, after all. Her Quill article had prompted this discussion, it had.

And Eden thought it was about TIME she ask the headmistress...about....THINGS.

She tried her best to straighten her hair and de-crinkle her skirt as she rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet. Here she went. HERE SHE WAS. Ahem. Were her eyes very baggy? She probably looked tired because she and Cole had stayed up studying like.......really late.

Eden hugged her backpack to her chest and sighed.

BUNZ???

Yes yes, someone was outside her Stone Gargoyles.... yes yes, she was coming.

With a sigh, Anastasia flipped shut the book she was writing in and dropped down her quill. She smoothed out her skirt, click-clacked to the staircase which would take her down, and then marched out from behind the gargoyles at the bottom.

Oh. Hmmmmm. It was that girl, that sassy Ravenclaw girl. "Can I help you?" she asked coolly, casually leaning against the nearest gargoyle without knocking it over.

Eden heard the shoe clacking before she saw the show of red hair....all of which belonged to Truebridge, of course. She took a deep breath and tried to smile...as best she could? while also not looking TOO smiley. Like. Professional smile thing.

"Oh...I had TWO--" and Eden held up two fingers, as if Bunz couldn't count, and then quickly lowered them because...because that was embarrassing. SHE DIDN'T WANT TRUEBRIDGE TO THINK SHE COULDN'T COUNT. "Two things I wanted to talk to you about? Both of the UPMOST importance, Headmistress ma'am...your highness?"

Ahem.

Anyways.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kayquilz

Eden heard the shoe clacking before she saw the show of red hair....all of which belonged to Truebridge, of course. She took a deep breath and tried to smile...as best she could? while also not looking TOO smiley. Like. Professional smile thing.

"Oh...I had TWO--" and Eden held up two fingers, as if Bunz couldn't count, and then quickly lowered them because...because that was embarrassing. SHE DIDN'T WANT TRUEBRIDGE TO THINK SHE COULDN'T COUNT. "Two things I wanted to talk to you about? Both of the UPMOST importance, Headmistress ma'am...your highness?"

Ahem.

Anyways.

"TWO things," the Headmistress repeated, her tone caught between snarky and amused. "Let's go up, if they're of the upmost importance, as you say." She didn't happen to mean the utmost importance, not UPmost, did she? *smirk*

Either way, the redhead left the girl to follow her, as the gargoyle she was leaning on moved to the side and allowed her to head back up to her office.

He wasn't his usual chipper self, Cutty Mordaunt wasn't. But that was a thin veneer he was mentally strengthening by the minute. He clutched a small, flat photo to his chest and lightly leaned his head up to one of the stone gargoyles. He did not have the password, but he'd wait for the Headmistresses to either come or go from her office as it was bound to happen sometime.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SlytherinSistah

He wasn't his usual chipper self, Cutty Mordaunt wasn't. But that was a thin veneer he was mentally strengthening by the minute. He clutched a small, flat photo to his chest and lightly leaned his head up to one of the stone gargoyles. He did not have the password, but he'd wait for the Headmistresses to either come or go from her office as it was bound to happen sometime.

Well she did have to eat lunch sometime. Clicking her bag closed as she stepped out from behind the stone gargoyles, the Headmistress was almost surprised to see Cutty standing there. Some timing, hmm?

"I'm on my way out, but what do you need?" That sufficed as a greeting, yes?

There was his lovely Headmistress looking as regal and as pink as ever. He had from a very young age admired the fearless way in which she wielded power. That hadn't changed. She was clearly on her way to somewhere, though. Best to make this quick. Say what you got to say, Mordaunt.

"Two things. Permission to enter Greenhouse four for personal study." He said stepping to the side of the stone Gargoyle to give her clear way to the floor and so that he could walk with her. What he had as a bit personal, but not necessarily to him. He waited until she was at the bottom of the staircase, feet firmly on the ground. "And a concern over this." He said, handing the photo he clutched over to his Headmistress. It showed a student, one, Eden McGee in a compromising pose though by the look on her face any issue of being compromised was certainly not acknowledged.

"We're not together." He said wedging a piece of information he didn't expect Truebridge to be up on. Student's personal lives, blah, blah, blah. Who cared. But..."Perhaps, she thinks it a cute way to flirt, booht I find it..." He found it piggish, but he did not want to appear as though he hated Eden. "Well, I'm afraid of what could happen to her if she does this to all of the male students she wants attention from." And Eden was the kind of girl who would. At least, according to Cutty.

"I would've told Mr. Kitridge, but I think it's better if I told yer. If he had to confiscate the photo someone could find it on him and it could compromise him, yer see. So I thought yew'd be the one to tell." He explained.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SlytherinSistah

There was his lovely Headmistress looking as regal and as pink as ever. He had from a very young age admired the fearless way in which she wielded power. That hadn't changed. She was clearly on her way to somewhere, though. Best to make this quick. Say what you got to say, Mordaunt.

"Two things. Permission to enter Greenhouse four for personal study." He said stepping to the side of the stone Gargoyle to give her clear way to the floor and so that he could walk with her. What he had as a bit personal, but not necessarily to him. He waited until she was at the bottom of the staircase, feet firmly on the ground. "And a concern over this." He said, handing the photo he clutched over to his Headmistress. It showed a student, one, Eden McGee in a compromising pose though by the look on her face any issue of being compromised was certainly not acknowledged.

"We're not together." He said wedging a piece of information he didn't expect Truebridge to be up on. Student's personal lives, blah, blah, blah. Who cared. But..."Perhaps, she thinks it a cute way to flirt, booht I find it..." He found it piggish, but he did not want to appear as though he hated Eden. "Well, I'm afraid of what could happen to her if she does this to all of the male students she wants attention from." And Eden was the kind of girl who would. At least, according to Cutty.

"I would've told Mr. Kitridge, but I think it's better if I told yer. If he had to confiscate the photo someone could find it on him and it could compromise him, yer see. So I thought yew'd be the one to tell." He explained.

Okay, they could walk and talk, that was fine. As long as young Mr. Mordaunt could keep up with her long legs... Annie kept the pace conversational, however. "Which plant in Greenhouse Four would you be studying?" she side-eyed him regarding thing one. Thing two, though..... had her stop walking to take the photo.

"Oh Merlin," the Headmistress murmured, immediately handing the photo back to Cutty as she averted her eyes. "That is certainly not a school uniform. Goodness. You probably should have gone directly to Kitridge about this, or Tanner, since she's the assistant head...." What to do now. Annie seriously did not want to call Eden back to her office AGAIN. She didn't get along with the girl and didn't like talking to her one on one, which made her want to not deal with this at all...

Although the more she thought about it, the more she realized she should probably look into this. "Is this the only photo she sent you?" She held her hand out again, palm up, signalling for the photo now that she had thought about it, and had thought about why Cutty had come to her rather than any other staff member.

"The flesh eating fairy orchid." He answered quickly, realizing the conversation was progressing as was their motion. He liked harvesting their resin for potions uses. Professor Bentley had taught them they were useful for alleviating stomach problems and he wanted to see what else, if anything, they could do.

His long, monkey-like fingers gripped the photo securely once more as the Headmistress handed it back to him. He listened to what she was saying about Kitridge and Tanner and he considered telling them both as well. Although the photos, they should go to the highest authority and in this case, that was the Headmistress.

"No, there are more." He said placing the photo firmly into the peaches 'n cream palms of Truebridge. "I threw the first one into the bin, booht the others are bach in me common room."

Quote:

Originally Posted by SlytherinSistah

"The flesh eating fairy orchid." He answered quickly, realizing the conversation was progressing as was their motion. He liked harvesting their resin for potions uses. Professor Bentley had taught them they were useful for alleviating stomach problems and he wanted to see what else, if anything, they could do.

His long, monkey-like fingers gripped the photo securely once more as the Headmistress handed it back to him. He listened to what she was saying about Kitridge and Tanner and he considered telling them both as well. Although the photos, they should go to the highest authority and in this case, that was the Headmistress.

"No, there are more." He said placing the photo firmly into the peaches 'n cream palms of Truebridge. "I threw the first one into the bin, booht the others are bach in me common room."

"And why the flesh-eating fairy orchid?" she continued, giving Cutty a longer, more penetrating look with her bright blue eyes. She knew this Slytherin had a great purpose at play here. Just what was the purpose? Potions? Fairy bites? Giving a dangerous plant to a pretty girl, like the one featured in these photos?

Back to the photos, ugh. "I want you to bring the others to Professor Tanner's office, Cutty. Let's sort this out with Ms. McGee before anything goes further." Including any investigations into flesh-eating fairy orchids... did she make herself clear? The Headmistress gave Cutty a firm, expectant nod of dismissal. "Now. Go. I will meet you there." She click-clacked off in the opposite direction from the stairs to head down the hall to Tanner's.

Ungodly hours made for poor visits. But this one was justified. As was the banging on any door surface Sabel could find. The gargoyles got a few spitting attempts at a password, and almost a kick when they didn't budge an inch.

He was patient enough most days, but it had taken the papers and book in his hand to drain it all away in an instant. He was near ready to throw a blasting charm at the ugly stone creature's head, just to get inside.

She had just been thinking of calling Sabel into her office to double-check her wards and figure out how someone could possibly have gotten in. But here he was, outside her gargoyles now. When Annie heard the alert, she ordered them to open up for him.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tazenhani

Ungodly hours made for poor visits. But this one was justified. As was the banging on any door surface Sabel could find. The gargoyles got a few spitting attempts at a password, and almost a kick when they didn't budge an inch.

He was patient enough most days, but it had taken the papers and book in his hand to drain it all away in an instant. He was near ready to throw a blasting charm at the ugly stone creature's head, just to get inside.

The gargoyles parted for the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, soundlessly taking his blows in stride and all.

Well it was darn well about time. Despite the time.

Truth be told it was a relief that Truebridge was in at all. Sabel took the stairs two at a time. The thought tickled the back of his mind that maybe it wasn't Truebridge after all.

"It produces a resin that can be very useful in potions, especially those that aid in digestion." That was what Professor Bentley had taught them that time they dealt with them, supervised of course, in the greenhouses before she left. He wanted to study the uses further and where that might have sounded academic, Headmistress Truebridge was already asking too many questions.

He listened. He was going to have to present in front of Professor Tanner. Alright. He could do that. Cutty nodded obediently and turned to go back toward the dungeons to fetch the photos.

Adi ran all the way from the Forest to the Headmistresses Office with Beverly. It was a good thing he was in shape, yo! Never the less, he was panting and there was a bit of sweat around his forehead which he brushed impatiently away.

"You don't by chance know her password, do you?'' he asked Bev as he surveyed the hideous gargoyles. "This is an emergency,'' he told the things impatiently. "So could you jump aside or something?" For safety measures, the Hufflepuff rapped smartly with his left knuckle on the wall or whatever it was.

He hoped Professor Headmistress was there.

Coming to a stop at the gargoyles, Beverly held her side. Merlin. She needed to get cardio back into her workout. Maybe eat less sweets. Even if sweets were the greatest. Maybe tone it down on the pizza consumption. Even if it tempted her. Maybe she should get a move on and help with the password.

Right.

"Has to be something important." You know, the way passwords tended to be. "What's her ugly cat's name? Gingerface?" Seeing as the gargoyles didn't react to that, she grunted at them.

"Headmistress!" She called, doubting she'd be heard. Normally she'd just...stay cool, but Professor Culloden and Thompson were out there and they needed BACKUP. "There's things going on in the Forbidden Forrest!"

Okay okay okay okay okay! She was here! Anastasia popped out from behind the stone gargoyles, her red hair still slightly damp and wavy. She was carrying her shoes but she dropped them quickly and slid in to the pumps.

"What's this about the Forbidden Forest?" she addressed Adi and Beverly a bit breathlessly. "Can we talk as we go there?" Her wand slid into her hand as she gestured for them to go go go go get going! GO!

They were creating a ruckus. Yes, they were and Adi did not care right now. Lives depended on how fast him and Beverly were. And of course, how fast Truebridge got there. "Gingersnapple, I think,'' the Hufflepuff corrected his fellow prefect.

SLAP, SLAP, SLAP went his hand against every free space he could find. "Professor Headmistress!'' Oh, there she was! Thank the Hippogriffs! "Professors Culloden and Thompson went into the Forest looking for the Groundskeeper and Henry the Hippogriff after something scared the other Hippogriffs and Henry ran off,'' he rattled, trying to explain it all to the Headmistress in a nutshell as he went, went, went as she wanted them to do. "We heard this cry or shriek or something in the Forest but we're not sure what caused it. Toby and Sophie were with us but they went to get Professor Dakest since there was a barrier that wouldn't allow the students to go into the Forest.'' WHY? They were ALL seventeen! And was he leaving out anything? Bev could fill it in if he had.

So.... some Hippogriffs were missing? "Is everyone okay?" she shook her head as she asked that. "Where are the professors now? Is Dakest there yet?" Could Adi take her to where, apparently, students were gathering BY THE EDGE OF THE FOREST?!

Her instinct said to get the students away from the edge of the forest, and any other hippogriffs/animals/people too. She didn't explain the barrier the Board of Governors had put up, for obvious reasons.

With this very serious and important matter, it was OBVIOUS that he had to get the headmistress in on it. No pressure there. He wasn't going to mess this up, it was just the headmistress. No biggy.

Except those gargoyles were like, as big as he was...

NO BIGGY. He set his posters gently and neatly on the ground before taking out his glue bottle and slathering the backs of them. Little too much actually. NO. BIGGY. Really, he had this under control. Taking one of the posters, he slapped it onto one of the gargoyle's face. PERFECT. Taking another poster, he slapped it on the other gargoyle's face. MAGESTIC. Taking the remainders, he slapped them down on the scultpures and one on the wall beside them... just because.

LOOK AT THIS GLORIOUS ARTWORK.

If that didn't get people's attention, then his name wasn't Lancelot. People WILL know about Pebbles being missing, gosh golly diddly dat.

On her way back from her the greenhouses, Annie was reading a stack of student essays in her hand, so absorbed that she almost didn't even notice the posters plastered on her stone gargoyles.

Ahem. THE stone gargoyles. A treasure for all of Hogwarts' Heads AND students.

"What is the meaning of this?!" she exclaimed, even though no one was around. "What in the---" PEBBLES?!! This was about that STUPID rock?! Pasted onto HER rocks?! Annie dropped the student essays and scrabbled at the posters, trying to claw them off with her nails. Of course she broke one in the process, cursing as she did. GRYFFINDORS. This was all their fault.

Penelope had run all the way here from the entrance hall to Headmistress Truebridge's office. The Gryffindor boy should be getting Professor Dakest. The Headmistress needed to know that there were acromantulas in the castle. There could be more out there, and the at least two Hufflepuffs were still in danger of being eaten.

How did the gargoyle things work? "ACROMANTULAS IN THE ENTRANCE HALL TRYING TO EAT STUDENTS!" That would get someone's attention.