Just as the sleeping arrangement plans were being finalized, teeny tiny Nimma slipped in to the room and hurried to the professors and elves who had already gathered. Nimma was late, yes, but Nimma had important reasons! Nimma had been making sure all studentsies were out of the common rooms and not going to be sucked up by the scary mist that was now taking over the castle. Nimma was scared too, but Nimma had to be brave for the studentsies!

"Nimma is here to help!" the little elf piped up. "Nimma will help escort studentsies to new dorms, yes, Nimma will!"

Oh no, one of the Ravenclaw studentsies was crying! Nimma walked over to her (Chloe) and since Nimma was very helpful, she held out a tiny rag she'd been using to polish some silver before the mist had come and offered it to her.

Feeling completely a mess in front of so many Chloe just looked down away from all the Professors until she felt a hand on her shoulder. Looking back up she saw Professor Theroes and couldn't help but to turn and hug him. She felt her small size even more so at that moment and felt like her first term all over again when she couldn't help anyone.

This time was going to be different though, she was going to help anyway she could. Lifting her head to the other's she did catch the look Professor Sandhu was giving her and nodded at her words. "We have to find him, we just have to." Did they know who his father was? This would be in the tabloids for years to come.

When Professor Cornish offered his sleeve she shook her head, "Thank you though" She didn't want to mess up his robes when she could mess up her own. Using them to wipe up her face she stayed close to Professor Theroes, but listened and watched the professor. Seeing Nimma she couldn't help but smile, "Thank you Nimma, but I'm okay."

"I'll help, I'll help with whatever you need."

Yes she was volunteering, she wasn't going to be the weak person that mist made ehr think she was.

He didn’t like the emphasis that the Headmaster had put on died. And he liked Trent’s next words even less.

The mist was on the ground floor.

Though he didn’t show much on his face, his stomach knotted. Kamryn was still missing, alone and outside. The Hufflepuff common room, the potions corridor, his office, clothes and supplies…all unreachable from their current position. The Slytherins and Hufflepuffs, if not the entire school, would need moving elsewhere. And no doubt full evacuation would be problematic with their current isolation in the mist – points that were soon raised by others, for better or worse.

One voice stood out, and frankly, Noble had no time for Professor O’Hara’s fear-mongering; the woman clearly had no sense of when to just shut up. It would have been one thing in a private staff meeting, but here and now? Noble held back a scowl at the woman, and instead focused his thoughts on the fact that the kitchens were still apparently accessible by the elves. If the common rooms were accessible too, then maybe, just maybe, they might be able to retrieve some potions supplies from the store room. He had no doubt the tray of potions he’d been headed to drop off at the hospital wing would be quickly diminished in light of recent developments.

“Sterling…” There was a warning tone in Noble’s voice as the Prefect’s outburst broke through his thoughts. The Prefect was being less then helpful to the situation right now, and certainly not the leader he needed her to be. The younger years were looking up to her and Aaron for guidance right now…and, of course, himself. With tensions already high, he decided it best to just start getting on with things. “Hufflepuffs, you heard the Headmaster…you’ll be moving in temporarily with the Ravenclaws. Could you please do a head count in your year groups, and tell the Prefects if anyone is missing. I want to make sure we’re everyone is accounted for before proceeding upstairs.” Actually...that probably went for all of the houses. And since plenty of staff were apparently distracted... "That goes for the other houses too," he announced. "Everyone do a head count, and notify your prefects if anyone is missing. Prefects, relate that to your Head of House."

That process started, he quickly located Professor Beryl at the side of the room. Reaching the tray of potions off the nearby shelf, he started moving through the students towards her. “Seems these were brewed just in time.” He passed over the vials, calming draughts amongst them, lowering his voice. “Hopefully there’s enough to tide us over.”

...and hopefully he hadn't lost access to everything he owned.

Toddles continued his wailing, Toddles did. But Toddles had to stop after a time because his throat had become scratchy and sore. Nothing a spoonful of honey couldn't fix. Or maybe a whole bowl full of it just to be sure. Tugging on his big flappy ears, Toddles covered and uncovered his eyes while Mister Master Headmaster spoke and explained what was happening to the studentsies. TRULY TERRIBLE THINGS! Toddles wanted to open his mouth to wail some more, but no sound come out save for a tiny little weeze.

Toddles needs honey, Toddles does.
But Toddles was also very very very keen to be useful to Mister Master Headmaster since Toddles makes a real mess of things last term with Fluffsies and now Fluffsies was backsies for revenge with dangerous whiskies!

Seizing opportunity when it was presented to him, Toddles quickly grabbed hold of the furry man's shirt and looked up at him with BIG starry eyes. "Toddles takes Mister Creature Master, Toddles does!"

And without another warning or without another words, Toddles the house elf POPPED out of existence in the dueling place with his special elfsie magic and took the professor with him.

This was all a whole lot to process. Fear mist actually in the castle now, no access to his common room, bunking with the Gryffindors, still-missing students, and Gunnar was half-listening to the Headmaster and half-scanning the crowd looking for the people he cared most about. And from what was being said, there was no real way out.

Each familiar face he spotted in the crowd helped to ease his growing concern. But even though he caught sight of his sister and several of his friends, there were a few people he did not yet see. One in particular caused him real worry as he hadn't seen her in class either or at breakfast, and if she was in the common room...

But he put those thoughts aside, even if it was just for a moment as his attention was drawn to the elves suddenly freaking out and Professor O'Hara as her voice took on an almost hysterical tone. Honestly. Being panic stricken was not going to help anyone remain calm right now, and he expected more of the adults at least. Even if he was keeping it together for the most part, he knew that Chloe was barely holding on and he was sure many were frightened. And this wasn't helping. But thankfully some of the other professors kept their heads and attempted to be the voice of reason.

Chloe's frantic outburst didn't surprise him however, and he squeezed through the crowd so he could stand next to her. He put his arm around her as she began to sob, thankful for Thereo's comforting gesture on her other side. "It's going to be okay," he murmured softly to her in German. "I know they'll do everything they can to find them, but we have to stay safe too." Yes, basically reiterating the Astronomy professor's words to her, but he was doing what he could to reassure his sister, even with his own worries and concerns threatening to bubble over. And he was really starting to wish that he'd be staying in Ravenclaw tower instead of Gryffindor.

It was just as bad as she had feared. The Slytherins were going to be staying [i]in her common room[i]. Did she have questions. OF COURSE SHE HAD QUESTIONS and she wanted answers. Where were they going to sleep? On the limited amount of sofa space? All over the common room floor? On the floor of their bedrooms? In their own beds? It was crowded enough in her dorm with Isla, Harri, Siobhan, Zoey, and Seshadri. ”But where are they going to sleep?” There was no way she was going to share her bed with anyone. She needed her space. Professor O’Hara seemed to have the most reasonable idea here, actually. Although it was kind of weird for her to be going about it in that way. Wow, things must be really bad if the history professor had a good plan. Usually Cordelia thought that O’Hara was downright bonkers. THE WORLD WAS ENDING! Or, you know, maybe just her sanity. Merlin, this was going to be a long however many days they were stuck here for.

What a mess this entire thing was. And her faith in the school staff actually helping them get out of here safely was diminishing by the second, because if they weren't united themselves - how were they expecting the students to follow their instructions? Thankfully, Nettie's hand in hers kept her calm enough to not further panic.

And Missa didn't even want to get on the case of the Hufflepuff prefect because what even was her point? The greater the suffering, the more validated you are in your opinion? So utterly stupid, she rolled her eyes on behalf of Eiji.

Eiji, who was now making his way over to her - and honestly he didn't even have to say this - she would have taken care of Rebecca, regardless of all that happened in the past few days, regardless of anyone telling her to do so, and so she found herself assuring him, even before she knew what to say, "don't worry about it at all, she'll be just fine with us"

Anna felt sick when Kamryn's name was mentioned. The Potter kid she didn't know well, but the Hufflepuff was her friend. And yes, she hadn't seen her in a while but now it was 'official'.

The Ministry would be taking on the search for the missing students? Anna had to purse her lips to physically stop her from replying to that from where she was. Although her attention was solely on the Headmaster, she was aware of people interrupting him and basically causing a commotion of sorts.

Whatever it was the other staff members and students were going on about, she didn't care nor did she fully listen to any of it. Which was a good thing because it didn't seem like any of it was relevant enough to the Headmaster. Anna decided not to add to the commotion and instead finally made her way towards Headmaster Trent, ignoring the panicky faces and sobbing and hugging and all of what was happening around her.

As she reached the man, she lowered her voice so hopefully only he could hear. "Headmaster, they might need our help now. I don't know how long the Ministry will take to get here, but they might need us now." She paused for a moment because her overthinking brain was pretty much shouting at her. Of course he had thought of that, she was stating the obvious, but she couldn't bear the fact they weren't doing anything. "I want to help... if there's anything you think we can do." Which, in her mind, didn't mean head counting and taking students safely back to the Common Rooms. Not that kind of help. Anna was dreading the fact that was probably what she was going to be told to do. "I mean help them. Those who are missing." Urgh, if only her being a prefect meant she could actually do something useful!

.................Sorry. Aaron had been trying to make himself as inconspicuous as possible. Ever since stepping into the crowded duelling arena, he'd been standing with Juliette and keeping a tight hold on his upset ducks. Even now, their soft, sleepy quacks could be heard throughout the spacious room. Focusing on them seemed like a better idea than arguing with people, or getting worked up about a situation he had no power over. Yes, they had schoolmates that were missing. Taken. It was terrifying, but they didn't need to be turning on one another.

He'd been about to reassure Archer that they were all in this together and that there was no need to get upset (or sarcastic), but their Head of House had called to her first. Maybe she'd cool off. Thing was, they were all scared. That was a simple truth, even if some of the more stoic members of the school didn't want to let on. It was concerning enough that the school staff didn't appear to be on the same page? The History professor was one such member that was making him very nervous. And the elves. Loud noises were not really helping his anxiety.

Squeezing Juliette's hand, he moved closer to Professor Noble, and the Headmaster; the school bag containing all three of his baby ducks remained hefted high on his shoulder. Quacking could still be heard. "Professor, Headmaster..." Aaron shifted from one foot to the next, clearly uncomfortable. Anna received a long look. "I know you're doing everything you can think of to keep us all safe..." but this did feel like it was going to get worst before it got better..... "Besides counting, is there anything else I can help with?"

The longer she stood waiting for the arena to fill, the more she began to dissociate from the scene before her. It was in a moment that her eyes almost glazed over, every ounce of her being dedicating itself to the thoughts within her head rather than those of the world surrounding her. She was terrified.

She hadn't even noticed when Eloise came and sat next to her on the floor, curled up. Or when Missa came to join them. Or when their party of three became four with Trinetta. Nina didn't raise her brows when Zai came in following Professor Beryl. She didn't so much as move her mouth when the Headmaster posed his question to the student body. She didn't flinch when he made the announcement of the missing students. She was listening, but only halfheartedly. She didn't raise her head in concern when Chloe McCarthy started to cry, nor did she frown when Professor O'Hara began to pester them into some sort of disagreement. She didn't throw her arms up in protest after hearing the news that they would be forced to live in the Gryffindor Common Room.

In fact, the Slytherin hadn't moved very much at all since picking her spot in the arena. Though she was physically present, she was mentally far-removed from the environment. The fourth-year wore a glassy look in her eye, as she started emptily ahead. Could this be over?

What if they died here?

So not only did she want to keep Alis and Jorgie safe (both of whom seemed perfectly fine leaving her behind), Holly wanted Cam. Seriously wanted her brother. Possibly even more than last term when they were turning pink… Shaking her head, she worried her bottom lip between her teeth, her heart clenching and tightening with the sickly, hardening feeling of dread as the teachers all ‘spoke’ around her.

>.> She wanted out of here, but she trusted the Headmaster to do it as quickly as possible. Even within the panicked fog, she knew that much…. But that didn’t stop her from gasping in a shocked breath when the Headmaster confirmed that Taddy was one of the missing. Taddy… Her and Alis’ long-term friend from primary school.

“No… nonono… Not Taddy.” They’d just been talking about Quidditch last week and how they missed it. About the brooms her dad and his grandfather had been looking into implementing for the sports curriculum over the primary schools. Nononono. This couldn’t be happening.

Her eyes dragged their way around the room, trying to find Alis and Jorgie - to make sure that they had found Jackson and all of Jorgie’s siblings. That everyone else was safe. Everyone but Taddy and the girl… She didn’t recognise the name, but that didn’t mean her heart wasn’t seizing and working over time as she fought not to cry. It was getting harder by the minute.

Uncharactistically silent she stood stock still, her heart full of fear, as it lodged itself in her throat.

In Kay’s eyes, everything was happening quickly: the students asking questions; Trent answering them; the arrival of the Elves; the confirmation of the two unfortunate, missing kiddos... Through it all she remained quiet, her lips pressed tightly together. More than anything, she was worried about the remaining kiddos’ safety. It only added to her worry of the missing Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. Worry was not good for this Professor. It only cemented the decision she had made when it came to her future at Hogwarts.

Kay zoned out of her thoughts when it was mentioned that the Hufflepuffs would be moving in with the Ravencalws. The Hufflepuffs and Slytherins sharing in the common rooms in the Towers made sense. She had no objection. Instead, she moved towards Hanna and Chloe. “It’ll be alright, both of you. We’ve been working hard to keep the rest of you safe and will work just as hard with the Ministry to find Kamryn and... and Tad.” Her voice faltered at her Ravenclaw’s name. Kay missed his presence especially as she was closer to him than Kamryn. She did, however, choose to glare at Alice.

Resigned to the fact that she was going to have to deal with Noble even more now, Kay began her own count of her Claws. It never hurt to have too many persons doing so in case of miscounts.

Orders from her potions professor didn't really phase Chloe because she knew someone had to start directing the students, but at the moment she wasn't moving and her offer was still there. Gunnar was the only thing that made her move at all and she hugged him. He had been one of the ones she was looking for in the crowded room. Now if she could see a few of the others it would help her a bit more, but the one she was really hoping was officially not going to be coming in.

"I know we do, but we can help somehow too. We have to be able to do something." She looked back at the professors and headmaster, but before she could speak Cornish was... gone, "Wait.. They aren't going into the lower levels? Why would Toodles take him to the mist?" Panick was in her voice again. They had two students missing and a professor that died the last term, did they really need more going away?

Looking at Professor Stewart she knew she would be forced to leave Gunnar again this term, something bad happens and they split up siblings, which in Chloe's opinion did not help anything at all.

Was that...?

Noble looked around him, eyes narrowing. Despite the general furore, he was sure he could hear quacking nearby...and it was getting closer. Almost suspiciously close to where his prefect wasn't doing as he'd asked and instead was looking...well, either he desperately needed the toilet, or he was hiding something.

Noble had a distinctly annoying feeling it was the latter.

"Perhaps you can help track down why there appears to be something making quacking noises, Aaron," he said with a pointed look. "I don't believe ducks are on the school approved list of creatures." Which meant they should be under the Care of Magical Creatures Professor's care. "Is there something you'd like to tell me, perhaps?"

Honesty tended to be a good policy with the Hufflepuff Head of House.

Right. That tone from her head of house needed no interpretation and she hopped (not literally) right to helping to count her fellow Hufflepuffs. "Anyone see anyone missing, aside from Kam?" she asked the first group of Hufflepuffs she came across. Yes, she was moving through the crowd now, figuring it would be easier for her to come to them than for them to come to her.

She had shoved the fact that they weren't evacuating to the back of her mind for now.

It took every ounce of willpower Ayana could find within herself to keep quiet. Between wanting to console each one of the paled faced students, to offering alternative methods of action, to physically holding herself back from casting a silencing charm on their lovely History of Magic professor, she was quite riled up as instructions began flying around. Her dark, bright eyes swept over the room, pausing on the troubled children, noting the Creatures' professor impressive knowledge of Gobbldegook - an awful, bitter language in her opinion - and finally landing on the Gryffindor prefect and her whispered words to the Headmaster.

Ayana was quite certain students had no business being anywhere but safely inside the castle, but she wasn't about to sit idly by and simply watch them. "Headmaster, I'd also like to offer my services. My area of expertise lies in research very much like what is needed at the moment; I could assist the team from the Ministry when they arrive." She certainly didn't share the students' skepticism at their governing body sending aid. What an outrageous thought. "At the very least walk them through what we know already."

If not, then she'll join Cornish in moving the students' things to the upper floors, and perhaps retreat to her office to look for some power wards she could place to slow down the advancing mist. The mist itself did not personally worry her. She'd heard the descriptions, some sort of mist of fears. Ayana was no stranger to fear. She'll be fine.

It was all just a bit too much. Hanna had accepted, happily, the responsibility of being a Prefect for Ravenclaw. But that was before this mist had spread itself around the castle she thought of as her safe home. Well, no longer safe, and only 50% what it had started as at the start of the year. Besides, there were OWLs to study for, with the sinking knowledge that... really... there was nowhere to sit for the examinations at the moment. She just had to brush her ever increasing anxiety away and pretend her insides were calm and sure. Whilst mayhem was brewing all around.

"Professor Stewart," she said to her Head of House. "If the Hufflepuffs are coming to our common room, will we need to get some spare beds?" Did that even exist? "Or some sleeping bags and mats? Did you want me to put extra beddings and things in each of the dorm rooms? Will we all fit like that?" How was it going to work? Hanna wanted to know, and she wanted to help. Physically. Do something. Anything.

Tina should've been relieved to hear that nobody had died, but she had a funny feeling about it. She didn’t want to believe that the headmaster would outright lie to everyone, but something about the way he emphasized that particular word gave her the distinct suspicion that there was something he wasn’t telling them. So that was it, then… the mist was inside the castle, and as long as they were here, they were all sitting ducks. Tina was already on edge, but that announcement sent her anxiety through the roof! There was no telling how long it would take the mist to rise to the other floor or what it would do to those caught in its path, and she did not want to die in this madhouse! If she did… would anybody even notice? She had no family to come looking for her, and this school would probably just forget she ever existed, just like… She absently twirled the bracelet on her wrist, watching the purple butterfly go round and round, and her expression hardened. It made her sad to think about, but Tina Dantes wasn’t the type to cry or cower. When she got upset, she got angry - and there was plenty happening in this room to set off her anger!

Trent’s impromptu Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson went in one ear and out the other. There was a reason Tina had dropped his class this term, and besides, the answer was obvious. When faced with anything dangerous or uncertain, she avoided it at all costs… which was exactly what she’d like to do now, thank you very much! Could she please go back to the Ravenclaw common room, or better yet, get out of here while there was still time?! Speaking of common rooms, what was going to happen to the Slytherins and Hufflepuffs? Somebody (Dorian) voiced exactly what Tina was thinking, and her heart sank. If they had to share a common room, could they please, please at least be paired with Slytherin? She could tolerate most of the Hufflepuffs, but one in particular was bound to make her life miserable… and the common room was supposed to be her refuge from annoying people.

Then the house elves came in shouting their lungs out - What exactly were they on about? Tina had no idea - then, as if on cue, that mouthy prefect (Archer) chose that moment to add to the assault on everyone's ears with her ill-conceived broom idea. Honestly, could she shut up just this once?! She nearly applauded when that Slytherin guy (Eiji) put her in her place, but what a shock! that didn’t silence the girl. Tina started to say something back but it seemed pointless since the headmaster had already rejected the prefect’s idiotic idea. Nope, she was going to let her dig her own grave with this one. By all means, keep talking, Calrisian, she thought darkly. Maybe if she kept arguing long enough, Trent would come to his senses and strip her of the badge she should've never had in the first place! Besides, the angry look in her eyes said it all: the only one using anything as an excuse to act like a jerk is you, Archer Calrisian!

Despite the annoying Hufflepuff’s complete disregard for tact, Tina had to admit she was right about one thing. They needed to get out of the castle now… a sentiment she was shocked to hear echoed by Professor O’Hara, of all people. She was literally the last person in the room Tina would’ve expected to challenge the headmaster, but she was grateful that she had. Maybe hearing the idea from a professor would be enough to get him to take it seriously. She waited for the staff to back O’Hara up, but not one of them did. Of course, why was she even surprised? This was how Hogwarts operated… everybody cozies up to the most powerful or popular person in the room. Tina bit back a wave of disgust that threatened to overwhelm her. The stern looks might’ve gone unnoticed, but Cornish verbally attacking her favorite professor did not. Wow… just wow. There was so much wrong with that statement, she didn’t even know where to start! A) respect was something that must be earned, not just blindly handed to whoever happened to be in power at any given time. B) O’Hara wasn’t scaring anyone; this situation and the headmaster's lack of action had already done that. C) If Headmaster Trent was half as competent as Cornish seemed to think, he didn’t need some sycophantic lapdog to fight his battles for him! D) Two against one isn’t a fair fight. Unless she’d gone temporarily deaf for the past few minutes, she distinctly heard O’Hara talking to the headmaster, not Cornish, so kindly stop ganging up on her and mind your own business, Professor!

She wasn’t sure why that made her so angry. Maybe it was because she was already on edge and would’ve gone off anyway, and that just happened to be the thing that set her off. Maybe it was because there weren't a lot of people she admired or trusted, so she was especially protective of those people. Or maybe it was just because she knew how it felt to be ignored and ostracized. Whatever the reason, she stepped forward, prepared to defend Professor O'Hara since nobody else was going to, but before she could speak, Trent was talking again and Cornish left with the house elf (?) and… too much going on to process all at once! If she thought speaking up was going to help Professor O'Hara at this point, she would've in a heartbeat, but she suspected her words would be twisted and used as evidence of the professor's "fearmongering". Instead, she moved next to O'Hara and whispered in her ear, "For what it's worth, I think you're right, Professor."

She turned her attention back to the headmaster, her anger rising with each word out of his mouth. So let's get this straight… they had two students missing, one of whom was her housemate, and mist on the lower floors that would likely continue to rise through the castle, and Trent was making no effort to find those kids or evacuate everyone else?! Tina didn't like the headmaster, but she never considered him incompetent until that moment. Not only had he allowed his staff to turn on one of their own (an act unforgivable in its own right), but he was gambling with all their lives at this point! From the way he talked, it sounded like at best, he had no idea how to go about evacuating; at worst, he had some ulterior motive for keeping everyone trapped here. Either way, the implications were unpleasant. It just confirmed what she already knew deep down. She couldn't depend on anybody, not the professors, not the headmaster, not his buddies at the ministry who may or may not be coming - and if they did, there was no telling how long it would take or much farther the most would move in that time! No, she feared that she was on her own.

It had been a... stressful few weeks, to say the least. The last week itself had put some more gray hairs on the man, he was sure of it. Piers lingered in the back of the arena while Trent held his meeting. It had certainly been disheartening to see (well, hear, really) the students on the pathways scream and crumble in fear instead of actually fight and try to survive, so Piers was thankful that the Headmaster was having a chat with the students. Of course, he wished that it were under better circumstances and that two of their students hadn't gone missing... but the meeting was necessary.

Questions. The students had a lot of questions. Piers stood through them quietly, only changing his expression once to roll his eyes at O'Hara's lack of faith in the Headmaster and the spectacular job she was doing instilling more fear and uncertainty into the students in the room. Absolutely brilliant.

Once all that needed to be said was said, Piers looked around the room to find his two Prefects. He was going to need their help now more than ever, so while some more students asked their questions, he found his way over to them and leaned down to speak to them quietly.

"I'll need you two to help the rest of the Slytherins get to the Gryffindor common room. Vita, when the Headmaster is done, lead the way and guide your housemates. Patrick, I want you to stay behind and guide the rear. Pick up any stragglers and lost ones on the way, alright?" The Slytherins weren't used to climbing that many stairs just to go to bed, so they may need some help in order to not get lost. "And... try not to scare anyone. Everything's going to be okay." Okay? Okay. Cool.

Teenagers had a way of being dramatic, you know?

Quote:

Originally Posted by griffin

It was just as bad as she had feared. The Slytherins were going to be staying [i]in her common room[i]. Did she have questions. OF COURSE SHE HAD QUESTIONS and she wanted answers. Where were they going to sleep? On the limited amount of sofa space? All over the common room floor? On the floor of their bedrooms? In their own beds? It was crowded enough in her dorm with Isla, Harri, Siobhan, Zoey, and Seshadri. ”But where are they going to sleep?”

It was nearly mindblowing to the man just how one track minded children could be, especially in the face of an emergency. Malachi sighed softly, feeling far older than his years in the moment as he heard the Gryffindor's question. In some sense, it was a logical next leap, but further logic should have cautioned this was a magical school where rooms could easily be extended and beds could be duplicated. "Where your schoolmates will sleep is literally the least of our concerns at the moment, Winklebleck." His tone, while tired, was not short or filled with il-temper. If focusing on the most inconsequential things was how this one coped, he wouldn't take it from her. "Let your professors worry about that." It was the easiest of all the fixes, hands down.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hey Ju

As she reached the man, she lowered her voice so hopefully only he could hear. "Headmaster, they might need our help now. I don't know how long the Ministry will take to get here, but they might need us now." She paused for a moment because her overthinking brain was pretty much shouting at her. Of course he had thought of that, she was stating the obvious, but she couldn't bear the fact they weren't doing anything. "I want to help... if there's anything you think we can do." Which, in her mind, didn't mean head counting and taking students safely back to the Common Rooms. Not that kind of help. Anna was dreading the fact that was probably what she was going to be told to do. "I mean help them. Those who are missing." Urgh, if only her being a prefect meant she could actually do something useful!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Govoni

Squeezing Juliette's hand, he moved closer to Professor Noble, and the Headmaster; the school bag containing all three of his baby ducks remained hefted high on his shoulder. Quacking could still be heard. "Professor, Headmaster..." Aaron shifted from one foot to the next, clearly uncomfortable. Anna received a long look. "I know you're doing everything you can think of to keep us all safe..." but this did feel like it was going to get worst before it got better..... "Besides counting, is there anything else I can help with?"

If only all their questions were that easy to answer and move on from. The Headmaster could sense the unease in this next Gryffindor, could feel the desperation as she spoke. It told him she wouldn't accept his response easily...but that wouldn't change his words. Not even the Hufflepuff Prefect mirroring the statement would change his response.

Malachi shook his head. "I....appreciate your willingness to help, you two, but counting is how you can help. Alerting your professors to anyone else who might be missing. Keeping your peers in line and helping them get safely to the common rooms. I'll be frank with you both." The man paused to give them a very serious look. Yes, he'd heard the quacking but he was hoping it was a charm and that the Prefect wasn't blatantly breaking school rules. Noble had taken the charge there, he would leave that to him. The Headmaster would focus on the other part. "You can't help anyone if you're dead. You can't keep your housemates safe if you're lost in the mist. You're more help here than out there. This is what we want the Prefects doing. This. Not that. What's in the mist? How does it operate? Is it sentient? Where are those students? How soon would we find them? What happens if we don't? There are too many variables we can't control when we leave this castle and as I've already said, I'm not prepared to lose more people. Now I'd appreciate if you acted like the prefects I expect you to be. More following instructions, less questioning them."

Everyone needed to be on the same page here. If the Prefects didn't do as they were told, what reason did the other students have to listen? Next thing anyone knew, they'd have small pockets of students trying to venture out into the mist on their own rescue missions. That was the last thing they needed. "Understood?"

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bazinga

"I know we do, but we can help somehow too. We have to be able to do something." She looked back at the professors and headmaster, but before she could speak Cornish was... gone, "Wait.. They aren't going into the lower levels? Why would Toodles take him to the mist?" Panick was in her voice again. They had two students missing and a professor that died the last term, did they really need more going away?

The panic in this one's voice was hard to miss. Trent found his eyes drifting to the younger McCarthy. "He'll be fine. Cornish knows how to take care of himself and the mist has been contained for the moment." The castle was not nearly as vast as the grounds and it was as the man had said, when in the mist, it helped to move away. It wasn't moving at super speed. "He won't be long." He hoped.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daemon

Ayana was quite certain students had no business being anywhere but safely inside the castle, but she wasn't about to sit idly by and simply watch them. "Headmaster, I'd also like to offer my services. My area of expertise lies in research very much like what is needed at the moment; I could assist the team from the Ministry when they arrive." She certainly didn't share the students' skepticism at their governing body sending aid. What an outrageous thought. "At the very least walk them through what we know already."

"Thank you, Professor Sissay, however I don't believe the team will be heading to the castle at all." That would only trap them inside like they were. No, that team would have to approach Hogwarts from another entrance, one that already had them outside and capable of examining the mist. "For now, I would appreciate your help getting the Common Rooms in better condition for sharing. Help get the students set up and all that." It was what he'd be needing all his staff to do for the moment. Once the students were settled, they could begin working on a more permanent solution.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jessiqua

"Professor Stewart," she said to her Head of House. "If the Hufflepuffs are coming to our common room, will we need to get some spare beds?" Did that even exist? "Or some sleeping bags and mats? Did you want me to put extra beddings and things in each of the dorm rooms? Will we all fit like that?" How was it going to work? Hanna wanted to know, and she wanted to help. Physically. Do something. Anything.

"That won't be necessary, Newton." The Headmaster appreciated that her version of help was turned inward within the castle rather than trying to get out to help those in uncertain situations that no one could truly get a hold on. It was the sort of help they needed right now. But, "Your professors will be handling the accommodations within the common rooms. It'll take some magic here and there, the easiest fix to implement in the moment." As he'd explained to Winklebleck. This would not take much.



Malachi looked to the room again. "Once the head counts are done, Prefects and Professors you can begin leading the students off. Professors, we'll be expanding each dormitory and conjuring extra beds as needed. Have the students help you with the rearrangements as needed. The elves will be along with the students' belongings soon enough. Everyone will have to sit tight until then. Lessons will continue as normal, after lunch albeit some in new locations. Until a proper evacuation is finalized, we will continue with caution, but we will continue."

That was the current game plan. Securing the students. No wandering out and trying to get lost in the mist. No fearmongering. None of that.

Evacuation was the obvious course of action but it would need to be well thought out, not an idea borne of panic as half the suggestions seemed to be.

SPOILER!!: Head of House / Headmaster!

Quote:

Originally Posted by hermygirl

Was that...?

Noble looked around him, eyes narrowing. Despite the general furore, he was sure he could hear quacking nearby...and it was getting closer. Almost suspiciously close to where his prefect wasn't doing as he'd asked and instead was looking...well, either he desperately needed the toilet, or he was hiding something.

Noble had a distinctly annoying feeling it was the latter.

"Perhaps you can help track down why there appears to be something making quacking noises, Aaron," he said with a pointed look. "I don't believe ducks are on the school approved list of creatures." Which meant they should be under the Care of Magical Creatures Professor's care. "Is there something you'd like to tell me, perhaps?"

Honesty tended to be a good policy with the Hufflepuff Head of House.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaniDiNardo

If only all their questions were that easy to answer and move on from. Th Headmaster could sense the unease in this next Gryffindor, could feel the desperation as she spoke. It told him she wouldn't accept his response easily...but that wouldn't change his words. Not even the Hufflepuff Prefect mirroring the statement would change his response.

Malachi shook his head. "I....appreciate your willingness to help, you two, but counting is how you can help. Alerting your professors to anyone else who might be missing. Keeping your peers in line and helping them get safely to the common rooms. I'll be frank with you both." The man paused to give them a very serious look. Yes, he'd heard the quacking but he was hoping it was a charm and that the Prefect wasn't blatantly breaking school rules. Noble had taken the charge there, he would leave that to him. The Headmaster would focus on the other part. "You can't help anyone if you're dead. You can't keep your housemates safe if you're lost in the mist. You're more help here than out there. This is what we want the Prefects doing. This. Not that. What's in the mist? How does it operate? Is it sentient? Where are those students? How soon would we find them? What happens if we don't? There are too many variables we can't control when we leave this castle and as I've already said, I'm not prepared to lose more people. Now I'd appreciate if you acted like the prefects I expect you to be. More following instructions, less questioning them."

Everyone needed to be on the same page here. If the Prefects didn't do as they were told, what reason did the other students have to listen? Next thing anyone knew, they'd have small pockets of students trying to venture out into the mist on their own rescue missions. That was the last thing they needed. "Understood?"



Malachi looked to the room again. "Once the head counts are done, Prefects and Professors you can begin leading the students off. Professors, we'll be expanding each dormitory and conjuring extra beds as needed. Have the students help you with the rearrangements as needed. The elves will be along with the students' belongings soon enough. Everyone will have to sit tight until then. Lessons will continue as normal, after lunch albeit some in new locations. Until a proper evacuation is finalized, we will continue with caution, but we will continue."

That was the current game plan. Securing the students. No wandering out and trying to get lost in the mist. No fearmongering. None of that.

.... Was there anything he wanted to tell his Head of House? About ducks?

Not particularly.

..... What an absentminded mistake, that was on him for not silencing the animals. BUT he'd ultimately been uncomfortable with the idea of casting spells on them. Aaron would never claim to be the smartest person, but he did happen to be quite compassionate, with a strong capacity to love. He'd rescued the source of that quacking noise.... and the source of that quacking noise was kind of his responsibility now. They couldn't be left to their own devices down in the Hufflepuff common room.

Interspersed with the Headmaster's firm reiteration of his orders, Aaron began slowly nodding, some of the overwhelmed returning. He hadn't meant helping, as in going outside of the school to search for Tad or Kamryn (though he missed them both greatly and wished for their safe return). No, he'd meant as in... helping to get Ravenclaw ready for more guests, though... now that he was thinking about it... That was probably on Professor Stewart to decide. And Ravenclaw had their own Prefects for that sort of thing. Feeling his face heating slightly, the Hufflepuff simply continued to nod... too polite to talk back. Or correct the wrong assumption. "Yes, sir. That's completely understood."

The ominous cloud had dispersed some, in lieu of this conversation, and Aaron momentarily forgot about his strong feelings of oncoming DOOM. There were more important things, right? Zeroing back in on Professor Noble, the Prefect smiled, appearing slightly apologetic.

"I don't have anything to tell you at the moment sir... I'm going to... go help Archer count. There's another group that I believe she's missed." And with that final word, he briskly walked to the other side of the arena, quacking bag noticeably much quieter than just moments before.

Now they're quiet.....

Noble eyed his Prefect, not at all convinced. In fact, the way Aaron had rapidly turned on his heel and headed through the students was highly suspicious. Especially considering he'd been so willing to help the headmaster, and yet completely disregarded Noble's suggestion to help track down the source of the quacking noises.

Surely the boy wasn't actually stupid enough to be carrying birds in his bag?

...as if he needed anything else to worry about right now.

"We will continue this conversation later, Aaron. In my-" He faltered; his office was currently out of bounds, and Noble grimaced. "I will let you know where. But I will find out the cause of those quacking noises." Whether the culprit be a prank voice manipulation charm or actual ducks.

He looked at their head of house and nodded his head as he was trying to wrap his head around the fact that people were missing, he was going to the gryffindor common room, and no more lower floors. How had they gotten to this point? How had the mist taken over the castle in such a way? He was just looking around the arena non stop. He seriously couldn't believe what he was hearing. He watched as everyone else was looking scared and a few of the more vocal students were speaking up to their respective heads of houses.

He was pulled from his thoughts as their head of house spoke to him telling him to follow their housemates up to the towers. "Yes sir. I can do that. Hopefully we don't have too many stragglers." He really didn't want any of them to get lost. He would feel absolutely terrible about them not knowing how to get to their temporary home.

Anna did glance at Aaron when he approached them, but the quacking noises were far from being on her priority list at the moment - and she genuinely didn't think that was a problem anyway. At least not in the light of what was happening right now.

Her heart sank as the Headmaster said exactly what she feared he would. As he continued to speak, the prefect could feel her face burning as it probably turned red, although she was trying her best not to let it show. She wasn't angry, but the nerves and the thought of the possibilities of having the two missing kids gone for too long in this mysterious - and dangerous - mist were pretty overwhelming.

'You can't help anyone if you're dead.' So from red, Anna's face grew pale as the man continued on another thought process. So the mist could kill? Or whatever was in the mist was deadly? Was that what he thought? Anna listened to the Headmaster's own set of questions and wondered herself what the answer to each of those were. This was insane. A bit too much. It was almost like the Inferi situation all over again, only this time the attacking entity moved much more slowly.

Lose more people, though? Was he already counting Kamryn and the Potter boy as lost? For good? Anna was feeling sick and lightheaded now. Merlin, how- ?? She wasn't sure what to think.

She wasn't looking up at him anymore when the Headmaster finished and she did take a moment before she sighed. 'More following the instructions, less questioning them.' Anna respected Headmaster Trent, but that was not how she liked to operate at all. "Yes, sir." She replied after Aaron, still not looking up at the man. Disappointed was an understatement.

Honestly, Anna let Stasya lead the Gryffindors - and Slytherins - towards their Common Room as she stayed behind with the intention to both see what the adults were going to do and... well, be the one to make sure there were no stragglers.

Try not to scare anyone? Vita thought it was a bit late for that and it had nothing to do with the prefects and how they were behaving, but she kept that to herself. Instead she nodded her head, glancing at Patrick and offering him a tentative smile. If Fuller-Thompson wanted them to play it off like things were fine, they could do that, right? Right...

After instructions and head counts, the brunette Slytherin waved the snakes over to her and then headed off with the Gryffindors. It was going to be something, sharing a living space. It was.