Have you seen this man? PV Professors Finished

Oh, perfect. A professor lashing out. Well, there was an opportunity to be had in the paranoia, a way out that flashed it's perfectly illumined exit sign like a beckoning siren in front of the welshman. Yes, of course. He was a suspect, as were they all. And what was something that would bring him out of sight, suspicion and mind? Well, him leaving the meeting, of course. What sort of spy or inside man would willingly give up on information, anyway? No one he knew of, for sure. Besides, he had no interest in dealing with professors who couldn't keep their cool, and he had a feeling that the number of professors who fell into that category would be rapidly growing.

He heard that some students had gotten cursed, by the snake queen herself. So, probably valid information, then. Although, information that was more suited for the likes of the potion professor. That was professor price, wasn't it? Probably? He wasn't sure. Then there was some nonsense about half vampires. What did he care, why did it matter? Well, it did. He had to admit that he had more than a little sympathy for the half breeds, but that wasn't his job, or responsibility. That was something for equinox to deal with.

But just as he had distributed the mental burdens accordingly to the other professors, he felt a very, very hostile glare. When he glanced to it's source, he almost slipped. He wasn't the best at Occlumency, not by a long shot. But he could pull it off. And he had to, now more than ever. He had entirely underestimated the snake queen, and the daggers that cascaded from her eyes like a torrent of almost tangibly flowing venom was a very, very bad sign.

He was outwardly fine, with the glare. His composure was just as it had always been, until she told him about the kids. He felt the color leave his face as he failed to throw the responsibility onto others. Dodging feelings was something he was good at, as well as dodging almost everything else. But was it his fault that the kids looked like cute little penguins? Rushing about from one class to the next with an adorable sense of importance and wonder that would eventually blossom into something great? He couldn't help it, he couldn't just ignore the children, he never could.

But what could he have possibly done wrong? He had dedicated entire lessons to be careful, to keeping yourself safe first, to assessing the situation. His piercing eyes actually met Jensen's poisonous glare, offering only slight confusion, and some small measure of sorrow that were drowned out in an instant. The color started to move back into his cheeks as he rationalized, returning the cold indifferent calculation to his eyes. His heart felt a knife dig it's frozen blade deep, as his mind argued that he had known this might be a problem, and had gambled with this job anyway. He was ready, he had to be. Ready to leave them all, and run.

"A student of mine would never think they could beat a creature. I never taught them anything of the sort. And need I remind you that venom and curses is something for a potions master, or someone who defends against the dark arts? It's my job to teach them how to pet a hippogriff without getting their hand bit off. Beating spiders doesn't fall remotely under my umbrella. My role is to take care of my creatures, not use them as blood hounds to track some dangerous coven. I don't keep many creatures in the forest, and even then, only by the outskirts. So, no. I have not been running into hag covens. And no. My creatures are not an arsenal and I do not plan on putting more lives at risk just so that we can waltz into a trap. And no. I'm not qualified to examine spider venom. Also, on the subject of spiders, if they vanished, then they probably weren't actual creatures. Which would make me entirely useless. Try someone who deals with magical conjuration, maybe? That said, if you really think I should take a look, I'd be happy to bumble about and see if I stumble into a footprint containing the address of a kidnapper."

Although it was true that he had never told his kids how to beat a creature, he had told them not to, more than once even, he was worried. What if he had, somehow, gotten the wrong message across. Maybe he had sent out a bunch of students with faulty information, maybe that had gotten them hurt, maybe it had somehow actually turned around to be his fault. It scared him, more than any of the other fuss. The possibility that he had caused a curse to fall on kids, kids who trusted him? It was a nightmare, the kind that kept him up at night. He would find it, find the error in his curriculum. He would go through the whole thing tonight, or the next night. As many nights as it took. But for now, he had to be calm, and he had to leave. He would inspect the spiders, he would absolutely inspect the scene.

The goth chick who had somehow become his head of house began to flutter about edgily, probably to calm people down, or maybe show off her footwork? He didn't know, and didn't care. The other edgy professor, this time of muggle studies, who had gone with a deadpool meets batman meets preachy political romcom aesthetic, volunteered to go hunting, which made Griffith want to plant his face into his desk. That meant that if he wanted to do any looking around, he'd run the risk of running into her? And if that happened, it'd be all 'why are you out here' and 'I knew I couldn't trust you' and 'the council will decide your fate.' That would be a pain.

But he made a checklist regardless. He would have to go and look at the spider mess in the dungeons. He would set up curtains so he wouldn't get people seeing him work. If word got out that he was, in fact, incredibly good with creature-based poisons and antidotes? That wouldn't turn out well, not after the cards he had just played there in the meeting. He would then have to go and check on the kids, and he would also have to track down the coven. He had his ways of doing that, it wouldn't be hard. A bird, and scent. He could have a magical hawk flying in circles above the coven in a week, tops, unless they had some sort of magical disguise or protection. And even then, he had his methods. Oh, yes. There were a lot of creatures who could track down magic, wards or no. A swarm of chizpurfles, followed by a few of something that ate them, for example. But to do that effectively, he'd need backup.

Why was he even considering helping, at this point? Well, because of the snake queen. She knew. He didn't know exactly how, but she knew. She somehow knew what he could do, and she somehow knew that he was refusing to do so. She had also shattered his armor in the most effective way possible. By saying that he was directly responsible for a child's pain. He could ignore the screams of those he didn't have much to do with, but not something that personal. No, he cared too much for that. It was, in his own opinion, one of his greatest flaws.

"I'll see what I can do, I guess? Oh, and the murder glare did just remind me of something. Voodoo dolls, made by the hags. Look like some of the students? I don't have any more info, so it kinda slipped my mind, but might be worth putting on the ol' conspiracy board?"

There. His good deed for the month.

"Also, I'm clearly less than welcome, which is totally chill. But I think that it might be better for my health if I headed out. If there's something I absolutely need to know, you can send me an owl. Otherwise, peace out. I'm not great at conflict."

He offered a sad, sheepish smile and bowed at the little corpses in the fireplace before scooting for the exit. In fact, if he managed to make an exit, he could look at the crime scene right then and there, he could entirely avoid the snake queen, and not have to worry about the black curtain. Perfect.

Thread left, unless prevented.

Zahid startled as Doc was suddenly screaming at the room. He had not seen his friend this out of sorts before. After a moment of shock he instinctively moved forward to comfort his friend but others had been faster (and closer) so he stilled and took stock of the situation.

He listened half-heartedly as the Head of Ravenclaw explained about the blood while trying to cast his mind to see if he anything of importance stood out to him, both in his memories and what was happening here right now.

He had been involved in one of the incidents and as much as he wanted to forget about that night, what if they had missed something important? But Caradoc had already given the broad strokes of what had happened and he did not think that how close exactly they had or had not come to dying was particularly relevant outside of pointing out that someone had tried to kill them something the others already had been informed about, so.

Hold on.

“Voodoo Dolls?"

That reminded him of something. Had he not picked up a doll back in the forest? Its importance (if it had had any) had paled in comparison to Elliot getting impaled or the Avada or himself almost getting crushed so it had slipped his mind. But he had held such a doll at some point that night, had he not?

“Now that you mention it, there was one that night in the forest that I had picked up from the forest floor. I had quite forgotten about it in the wake of everything else, but how did you know?”

Zahid stared at the Care of Magical Creatures Professor in suspicion. How had the man known?

For a moment Cypresse stood rooted to the spot, arms crossed and absolutely at a loss as to what to do without a response to her query. Then she heard footsteps approaching her lightly and a brush on her arm, and she followed the guide given to her until they came to a stop, nodding along as Vernatis listed the contents of the room for her. "Thank you," she muttered back lowly, feeling behind her for the chair and deciding to use it. Better to sit out of the way than become an obstacle for somebody trying to move around without being accustomed to her presence.

From there she reached out to draw her wand from left to right across the pieces of parchment, muttering legere quietly, so the voice that read the contents aloud to her was not loud enough to disturb the conversation. She nodded along as the words reached her, making sure to pay attention to the ongoing discussion at the same time.

As evidence and opinion alike were presented before them, Cy remained silent for the most part, preferring only to absorb the information at the moment—a trait usually not expected of her, considering the usual sharpness of her tongue, but a good strategy in a situation like this. Already the discussion was starting to become a little tense with accusation, but there was still more to be revealed, so she only leaned forward, resting her elbows on her lap.

Towards Griffith, she only rolled her eyes, turning her attention away to follow along with the rest of the information. But when the Head of Hufflepuff accused Vernatis, she frowned, sitting up straight. "With all due respect, Mr. Browne, Mz. Jensen," Cy began, "I understand that the situation is tense, but accusation is not a boon to us at the moment. Pointing fingers without reason will get us nowhere, even if there is a culprit, if we don't get back to working together rationally."

Taking a deep breath, she crossed her arms lightly. She'd spoken, she might as well try—emphasis on try—to contribute. "I'll admit that I suck at keeping up with current events, but the letter mentions working your way back into the Ministry, is that relevant in any way?"

Then she sank back into her chair, content to listen again. The moment the Care of Magical Creatures professor began to speak, even began to leave, she arched a brow. That something like this would simply slip someone's mind seemed very improbable... she stopped herself before she could get far - that was exactly opposite of what she'd just advised everyone else not to do. Paranoia wasn't helpful.

"Mr. Griffith, I don't think your leaving now wouldn't be of that much help either." Maybe getting involved wasn't a great idea after all. She sighed. "But... if what he said is right, I have studied maleficent Conjuration before, while I was in school and while I was a Cursebreaker overseas."

Cypress had defended Artemis against Browne when the man blatantly pointed fingers at not only him but also at the new Divination teacher. He appreciated his young friend standing up for him, however. Artemis narrowed his eyes at the older man when the accusatory tone came from his mouth. How dare he suggest that he wouldn't have stepped in to help out? Or that he was in together with those bloody hags? If Artemis had known about what was happening in the school he would have immediately gone to help out his fellow staff members or even helped out the students. As it were, he was left in the dark like everyone else and didn't know about all the happenings that were going on. But then the man sighed. It had to be tough for Caradoc to withhold all of this information from the rest of them and it must have been rough to deal with whatever fallout that battle with that hag left him with. He would have to pull the man aside later and apologize for his accusations. Right now, he was being calmed down by Maya after his blow up. Artemis stepped out of the way when Elaine brushed passed him, her gown touching him briefly as she continued to make her way to the center of the room and stopped near Caradoc. 

A shudder ran down the Charms Professor's spine but he managed to hide the physical chill by taking in a deep breath. There was a lot going on between the Slytherin students being possibly cursed, the Headmaster missing, the Gryffindors conducting an investigation and this issue now with hags and mystery notes being passed around. He didn't manage to help out before but Artemis definitely didn't want to miss out on helping out his fellow professors this time around. It was time for him to come out of the pity party he was throwing himself and be productive. 

He opened his mouth to announce that he would help the others with whatever was needed, especially the wards that Elaine had mentioned were weakened, but then Griffith opened his own mouth to spew out what sounded like a deflection if nothing else. Was the man trying to get out of the responsibilities of looking for Lear and helping out? Maybe he truly was involved and is trying to make his escape now? Especially after making the comment about voodoo dolls? Were the students having dark magical items made in their image to harm them? That was definitely something that they all should be looking out for. Artemis didn't have proof of his own to make accusations, so he kept his mouth shut, but he agreed with the air in the room that something wasn't right about the Care of Magical Creatures teacher. He watched as the man made his way to the door to leave when Zahid spoke up about voodoo dolls and about how he had one. 

"You have one of these...dark items? Do you know which student it looks like? Maybe there is a connection between the student and the hags or potentially they were the next target and you stalled the evil wenches from hurting the student? Either way, we should gather as much information about the hags and voodoo dolls as we can. If Griffith is willing to explain about them?" 

Artemis looked to the older man briefly before turning his head back to Caradoc. "Browne, I feel that I must apologize for my outburst. It was uncalled for and though I still do not like the fact that we were all kept in the dark for five months, you men must have had your reasons for keeping the knowledge of this issue to yourselves. Know that I am offering my services to this situation and will help wherever I am needed, however I believe strengthening the wards of the castle should be our first priority. It would at least help protect the students if we do it correctly." 

Artemis would stare into the older man's eyes, hoping for a sense of acceptance. He knew the Hufflepuff Head of House during his time at school, even though he was a year or two ahead of him. He was always kind to the underclassmen and never pranked them for the fun of it. And from the times he would watch the man from afar with his friends, he was always the energetic one. He was frustrated and angry right now, lashing out at his colleagues but he didn't think this was how the man kept himself on a daily basis. Something went wrong in those woods five months ago...something that is greatly affecting him now. 

Maybe that could be another thing to look into on my own. 

[quote]Boniface was shuffling uncomfortably in his seat, haven been mute for several minutes now. He was processing, trying to take it all in, and then the next thing he knew, all hell broke loose. Coughing, he started, "I, hem... I am also close to the forest. While creatures aren't my forte so much, if a hand needs lending on the whole hags thing, I can... Well, I am certainly an able body." He didn't really know what to say, or what they wanted to say, but it was the best that he could offer.

"I don't really... Well, this wasn't what I was expecting from my first year working here, so I'm sorry that I'm none the wiser about this situation. But if there's anything that I can do to help, please let me know." Now seemed like a good time to be calm and collected, because it was clear that the others were frustrated and he didn't want to add to the tension.

Shifting again, Boniface thought hard for a moment. "Creatures aren't my thing, or whatever it was that attacked your students, Professor Jensen, but if it's a matter of venom that's creating the curse we're dealing with... Well, I am certainly less than qualified to tell you what exactly the venom-curse is or anything like that, but perhaps Professor Price and I, if he's willing, could monitor the students. In the event that the current measures taken to help them don't work, we could look into alternate solutions with our crafts. Medicinal healing is down our alley, after all. I certainly wouldn't mind, just in case you need an extra set of eyes or another opinion. Even if it's not anything like that, I can... I'm still willing." He offered her a weak smile, understanding why she was upset, and he had hoped this would bring her some peace knowing that there was at least one professor willing to help out. "This isn't to say I think that everyone involved doesn't have it under control, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. At least... If it happens again, we might can figure out how to protect them better in the future. But only if you need me, I don't want to step on any toes."

Looking around the room, he saw many faces from many different walks of life, and he realized that he was a unique situation. "I spent years in the Highlands. Creatures, magical and mundane alike, have crossed paths with me, and my niche was finding ways to cure the wounds that they may inflict where possible. I don't know what it is that attacked your students, but maybe there is a chance I could be of assistance." He decided to leave it at that, not wanting to push or press further. He didn't want to seem arrogant to the situation, or cocky in any way, because he realized that his qualifications were really just that he was born into the trade. Nevertheless, a good deed is a good deed at the end of the day. Whatever he could do to help.

Hjørdis searched the room, grabbing a spare piece of parchment and a quill from the desk. Within moments, she was jotting down every letter, word for word. The copy was exact, though perhaps in her own handwriting. There was something off about them. She could not quite place what but there was something that was bugging her about each of them. Making a copy was the best way to look at it later, allowing her mind to dwell on the words and the exact punctuation used.

She paused in thought. Her aunt offered her hand, which Hjørdis took and squeezed. She did not need to steady herself physically but emotionally, it was getting harder and harder for her to maintain her blank facade. Pendrast likely saw right through it. Anyone who knew her at all would see through it. She spoke far more than she usually did, mostly at Griffith, because she could not control the panic rising from within her. 

Qualified professionals, her aunt spoke of. Hjørdis looked around the room. These were the professionals. Permanent harm, she would say. But Hjørdis knew more and it hurt her. Finlay spoke of a medication to ease their pains whilst a cure was searched. She had to share that a weekly dose would be administered to the group.

There was a moment of hesitation. No one trusted the room. But was there really a place that could be trusted in a school where so many attacks were happening and no one knew when or where they were happening or how? A Hag attack on the grounds, a Spider attack in the dungeons, a Giant attack in the ballroom... The locations were spread apart.

Pointing to the second letter. "Vancleaf." She started, "There may be another Finley but the only one I can recall is Finley Vancleaf. The school nurse." She allowed her words to process in the room. Yes, the school nurse. The one in charge of healing the students back to full health. "After the attack on Slytherin, Finley told me they were cursed. Additionally, he informed me that they would need to come back weekly to help ease their symptoms as he had not found a cure. His medication will not cure them but it will ease their pain." She informed the room. There was no signs of emotional turmoil on her face or body language, except for the flicker of her eyes that looked down for a moment before they steadied themselves.

Finlay, or Finley, Vancleaf was perhaps one of the few people she really did not want to suspect. Not because she knew him well but because of his position. If any professor was suspicious, it would be bad that they were allowed to teach. But the school nurse? That was a whole new kind of hell that Hjørdis really did not want to accept. She wanted to be wrong. "We have absolutely nothing to suggest the letter refers to him." She stated, in a matter of fact tone as she wanted to assure the group that he was not guilty, simply because she named him. However, it was a point of interest and something to note. He was, sadly, now someone to watch.

She was careful not to say too much. His name made sense, he was a member of staff. But in order to clear his innocence or prove his guilt, she knew she needed to question everything we know about him and everything he has told her. To start with, she would need to verify if the students are cursed, check the potion he administered them and to see what he is planning to administer on a weekly basis. They had a few days before the next dose would be administered. They had to act quickly. It would take a lot of restraint to march right up to him and demand answers but she knew that would never work.

"If you know anything about curses or cures for them, come to me." She instructed the professors, requiring their expertise in order to actually question Finlay's actions or to defend him. They would likely need to work together on the matter. Hjørdis knew of some of the professors abilities and skills. But half the room were still a mystery to her. She had not bothered to spend the time to get to know them and that was currently her downfall. They would have to volunteer for the job.

Pendrast mentioned the wards. They were old, yes. But they had not fallen. Lear... was still alive. It was a moment of hope, perhaps. Lear was alive. They just needed to figure out where he was. The hag coven in the forest? It would be too risky to search but he could definitely be there.

She nodded towards Maya, "I'll write you into the rota." acknowledging her request about patrolling. Hjørdis had spent far too much time patrolling for the past few months. Perhaps, just maybe, if she had that night off... she could have saved them sooner. She mentally shook her head. This was not the time nor the place to be feeling guilty. Hjørdis had to focus on what mattered here.

Griffith spoke. His words were irritating her more and more as he spoke. Excuse after excuse. It did not work... Her manipulation failed. At least, that was what she believed until she heard the words 'That said, if you really think I should take a look...' It worked. Hjørdis knew it worked the instant he caved. He would never have even suggested it if he genuinely did not care. If her words had not affected him then it would not matter to him. 

Her eyes snapped to the man. Realisation dawned on her as he spoke. He spoke of Voodoo dolls that looked like students. He knew about the hags. Her fingers clutched into a fist. That man infuriated her more and more with each reason. He knew of voodoo dolls, he knew of the hags and despite everything, he was just standing here, acting clueless and not offering help? Her feet moved before she was aware of their movements. Her murder glare was aimed right at him.

Hjørdis understood when Zahid said it slipped his mind - being almost murdered by hags could easily cause something like dolls to slip. But Griffith acted like he was not involved. She found herself moving to the door, pretty much attempting to physically block Griffith's escape until he gave some answers. "Where did you find the dolls, do you still have them?" She asked, adding onto what Zahid and Vernatis asked. Her expression was blank once more, the signs of a glare disappearing as she asked her questions. But her fist was clutched by her side, ready to deck him if he tried to leave without any explanation.

As much as she wanted to throw her fist into his stupid looking face, she resisted the urge. Tension was most certainly already high. And, she was kind of pleased that she had managed to manipulate him into doing what she wanted. It was more effective this way than if he had been told to just do something.

They needed information and if he refused, she would have no problem having her fist smashed into his face. Her eyes flickered to Lian who spoke about being a cursebreaker before, before shifting to MacTavish as he addressed her. It looked like they would likely have enough people to do something about this curse. She just hoped they could do something soon. The doubt had already set in, she could not allow her students to be near Finlay alone nor could she allow the nurse to administer potions that had not been checked. "Very well, Lian," She replied, acknowledging the words the Transfiguration professor spoke out aloud before nodding towards MacTavish. His help was appreciated. No, more than that, it was necessary. She made a mental note as he justified his offer of help with his background. "If it was under control, it would not be happening. Working together is our only option at this time," She replied, speaking a bit more generically to the group. 

All of them had to work together if they were going to stop further attacks. Right now, there was no way of knowing when they were going to happen or where. They had no idea how they were happening or why. She paused, waiting for anyone to share any further information. 

It seemed as though the climax of the entire meeting was always met with Caradoc screaming in the room. She heard everyone settle in their planning. Some professors were agreeing with others and some were still fairly quiet. Their headmaster was missing. Solomon Lear, a powerful man who stands within the castle walls had disappeared. Instead of making a plan of action and huddling out, it felt as though the plans were being made and slowly being acted upon. Caradoc had a reason for becoming very uptight. He had a family. But everyone else... What was theirs? It didn't feel as urgent, and quite frankly, Maya had enough of it.

"דינו" she shouted from sitting on the stairs. Maya quickly got up and looked at everyone. "Now that we have some sort of plan let's go, יאללה! There's no reason to sit here mindlessly waiting for a miracle," she said, a bit aggravated.

Maya then looked at Nora, her eyes piercing. "I'll write you into the rota?" she mimicked with disgust, "there's no time for putting me into the rota, Hjørdis. This is the time to act. I will be on the lookout every night if I have to in order to ensure the safety of the students and ourselves," she said.

She knew that the first step was to heal those who had been cursed from under Hjørdis' watch. But here they were, still "planning". The Herbology professor, Boniface MacTavish, and the Potions professor, Elliot Price, were going to help with those who were injured. Observation alongside potion brewing takes a long while. But again, here they were rather than to quickly go and gather their things together to help.

"Hjørdis, with Lear gone, you'll lead," she added, not taking in anyone else's input. Nora was most likely the most qualified of them all and Maya knew her very well to know this. She also hoped that Nora would understand the reason why there needed to be a leader. Without one, chaos can continue to grow. There needed to be one solid foundation.

Reducio

Translation:
דינו = Dayenu = Enough
יאללה = Yallah = Come On/Let's go

Cy settled in her seat and resolved to observe again, managing to keep herself from squirming every couple of seconds in favor of fiddling discreetly with her holstered wand. The initial panic and irrational reactions seemed to be calming down, the group apparently realizing the truth to what she and others had expressed: they would get nowhere if they didn't work together. She had offered her help, but she herself didn't have any new information to give - piles of work and tutoring students after class who needed a little extra push to understand the material had her sleep-deprived and caffeine-driven most of the time. Nothing came to her.

The next clue, though, had her raising an eyebrow. Griffith had mentioned them, but now the history professor had confirmed it. Voodoo dolls... had she learned about those before? She remembered them vaguely from... some time ago that she couldn't quite get ahold of. Probably some case or another that she'd had to solve for MACUSA. Intrigued, she lifted her head from where it had been tilting listlessly to the side, now listening intently.

Vancleaf... so, the school nurse. She made a face, grimacing exaggeratedly to herself - well, nobody was going to be looking anyway - and sucked in a breath. The cursed patients were being cared for by the school nurse, after all, and if that was who the letter was referring to... even Nora's word couldn't completely free him of possible guilt, after all. But it was clear that she didn't believe it was him. "Someone should watch him, regardless," she said gently, unsure of whether the intrusion would be welcome or not. "Maybe Mr. MT - Boniface, sorry - would be able to help with that. You're a healer - you should know if he does anything questionable, and even if he's not guilty you would be a great help to finding a way to ease the students' pain, if not finding a cure."

Logically she knew that finding a cure wouldn't be possible with just one healer alone, especially if the infliction was of a cursed origin. That would require... work, from people with expertise in several different areas. But she had no doubt that it could be done - the professors were a diverse group, after all; she only hoped she could contribute.

Cy frowned at one of the professors' outburst - in a language she didn't know. Something European? Couldn't tell. As much as she disliked the bluntness of the way it was said, the woman had a point. They did have a plan, albeit a very basic one, and there were things that could be done right now - after all, she herself was just sitting there, mostly.

She agreed wholeheartedly with the suggestion - or was it more of a command? - that the Slytherin Head of House lead. She was the obvious choice, perhaps rivaled by the Hufflepuff Head, but he seemed in a much more emotional state than she did at the time, emphasis on seemed, and right now that might not be the best quality in a leader who needed to keep everything organized. Chin in hand, she waited, nervous energy thrumming quietly along her veins.

Her thoughts trailed back to her sister and her mother, hopefully safe in their cottage in Hogsmeade. Were the Hags attacking only Hogwarts? Would they branch out to neighboring villages? She knew Aoi was more than capable of defending herself, but she couldn't have an eye on Evangeline every second of the day, and although the old witch herself was skilled enough, old age hadn't been kind to her mind.

Worry pooled in her gut, and she cast her face down, taking a breath to reassure herself of their safety. What she did here to get to the bottom of what was happening would help her family. There was nothing else she could do but owl them a warning, maybe send them somewhere else until it all blew over. Look at you, protecting your family, she could almost hear Aoi saying, and she stilled for once. This would be fine.

Between everyone's seperate interactions, Caradoc would have little to offer in his current disposition. Inside his head there was a burning snake, slithering through the back of his brain, feeding his paranoia. He faintly heard Maya directing his voice to him while they sat next to each other. He'd give a faint nod with his head as he closed his eyes. Artemis' voice would rise from the discussion. His name mentioned, attention drawn to him once more. In silence, the Hufflepuff Head of House lifted his head and locked eyes with the man. Caradoc was tired, slowly his mind was picking away his stamina, piece by piece. His blue eyes would give a dull expression with Doc barely comprehending what his message meant. Realising almost a second too late it had been an apology, the badger rose to his feet and nodded.
"T-thank you Artemis. I apologise for my outburst."

There were a few active members. Artemis, Zahid, Miss Lian and Nora had all spoken up. His eyes darted off towards Pendrast though. With almost a dark look to his bright eyes, he'd inspect her closely. All dressed in a dark tone, her movement mysterious. There was this click in his head that seemed to scream she had to have some advice for him. Maya's words echoed further down his thoughts. He could not speak up, or he'd draw unnecessary suspicion to himself. No one in the room trusted one another. And he had been having issues ever since his encounter with that hag. Slowly the clockwork mechanism of his brain started piecing possibilites together. He would need help. And Pendrast might be the right person to ask. Who better than a professor that taught to defend against dark arts.

Caradoc knew in his heart he was no soldier. He should not have been on the frontline that night. Neither of the other two as well. It was the most uncommon mix of bookwurms and healers that had found themselves tricked in the woods. He was glad and relieved to hear peopel saw Nora as a leader. He saw it too. On every occasion he had met her, she had proven to them how much of a professional she actually was. Even today, when she barged into the office, her intent was clear. Protect this school. Looking in her direction, Doc waited til their eyes met. Giving a reassuring nod, he could not help but smile softly.

There was this awkward feeling inside of him gnawing, pulling on some strings, or turning his stomach. Facing away, he cleared his throat. "I have shared what I had. Sadly, I am exhausted. You're all brought up to speed. I'm sure patrols will be tightened. Give your name to Nora if you wish to aid." Without another word, Caradoc stepped forward and followed where Griffith had left earlier. He met a few people's gazes when making his exit. There were quite a few of them who could expect a visit from him soon. Things had only just started for the professors of Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Leaves thread unless explicitly stopped.

A shout caught her attention. Whilst she did not speak Hebrew, she could easily guess the meaning of the words based on the tone of voice and actions that followed suit. They went back years, after all. Though, it had been many years since she actually saw her again. If Nad had warned her, Hjørdis likely would never have accepted a job at the school. But that was probably precisely why Nad had not warned her.

Hjørdis almost rolled her eyes at Galim's interruption. Typical. They were attempting to formulate a plan of some sort and of course, Galim had to go ahead and kick up a fuss. Ironically right after they had managed to start calming down and actually getting somewhere. It was actually kind of ridiculous to see the Muggle Studies Professor complain about wasting time whilst actually wasting their time by forcing them to listen to the stupid things that were coming out of her mouth. Mimicry? Really? Was she twelve again? It was also an odd sort of irony coming from a professor that had been present during the ball incident and failed to do anything to stop it from happening.

A mix of irritation and the desire to just laugh filled Hjørdis. It was a confusing mix of emotions. One, where she thought Galim was perhaps the dumbest person in the room. Another, where she wanted to tell Galim to just shut up and stop talking if she had nothing vital to contribute. Half the room had been overworking for months, trying to keep things under control and now Galim suddenly decided it was time to get involved? It was also interesting that she chose to say 'if I have to', despite the fact that she was not for a rota. Without a rota, how would Galim even know what nights to work? Did 'if I have to' actually mean she planned on getting zero sleep? The night patrol was not going to be one or two hours. It was throughout the night. Hjørdis had walked back into the Slytherin common room at around 6AM, after a full night's patrol, to see the attack.

Honestly, if Galim was not so ridiculous in her comments and decisions, Hjørdis likely would have lost control and told her to shut the hell up - or punched her. But the mimicry, the hypocrisy, the arrogance was actually kind of amusing to see because it was just so ridiculous.

"Patrols will need to be 24/7, Galim," Hjørdis stated in a matter of fact tone, updating Galim on the situation, "Feel free to do it on top of your classes," She concluded, having absolutely no qualms or retorts for stupid. Hjørdis would happily schedule her in to the rota full time. If Galim thought she was capable of going without sleep, she could work herself to death. It would only make Hjørdis relieved that she would never have to deal with her again. Full time patrols was definitely tiring. Since Caradoc, Elaine and Alaric were taking on Divination, DADA and Astronomy up to this point, Hjørdis was the only head of house without a class. Patrolling in the daytime was easily done. However, it became exhausting when mixed in with night patrols - which was seemingly becoming even more necessary.

In an ideal world, the night patrols would also be done in pairs. At the moment, there were only two volunteers. It was impossible to do full time patrols alongside lessons and Hjørdis was fully aware that she would be covering flying lessons in the coming weeks. Though she would not admit it, she knew that Galim as a skilled lady. She had no doubt that she would patrol well. But even then, it was still not possible to patrol 24/7. Unfortunately, sleep was a thing that they needed to do. As was teaching lessons, eating, other tasks such as dealing with the ministry, researching the curse, creating potions. The list of tasks was endless.

Hjørdis turned to the Transfiguration professor, "Of course, Vancleaf should be watched," She replied, not entirely sure what she should believe anymore, "And if something like this happens again, don't let the students go to the wing alone." She was stating the obvious but it was vital that no one slipped up and allowed even one student to go alone. Fin was in a position where people automatically trusted him. She did it. That trust was easily abused. After all, trust was a weakness. It made her weaker. She knew that. And yet, she had trusted him blindly in her moment of panic. But the potion that he had administered - that he had gotten her to administer - looked right. She would need to confirm if there was anything mixed inside. "Lian, if you're checking on the cursed students, you'll have a reason to be there. We'll leave the curse to you and Elaine. I'll create a list for you," She replied, indicating that those two would be best to help break the curse.

"MacTavish and I can work on the cure." She added. Price would definitely have been able to help too but she did not want to volunteer him into the mix as he had not agreed to it - and he had clearly been through a lot.

She made a mental check list. Griffith would check on the spiders and use his arsenal of creatures to try and track down the hags. Lian and Pendrast could try and identify the curse. MacTavish, Price and herself would be able to produce the cure if they knew what they were working with. She had already been working with the Potions professor to brew extra healing potions but this was going to have to continue at a greater speed. They needed potions they could trust, when the school nurse was a suspect. Then again, most of the people in the room could easily be a suspect. Galim would assist her with the patrols - though she was hoping for more volunteers but it would do for now.

"Zahid, if you can get any more information about these voodoo dolls, let us know," Hjørdis abruptly said, as she realised that the voodoo dolls could come in useful. They needed to know which students and why. They could also potentially use the dolls to track the hags.

She quirked an eyebrow as she heard the words 'you'll lead' come out of someone's mouth as though it was not a question. There was a lot that annoyed her about Galim's decision. The Muggle Studies professor was in absolutely no position to make any decisions, such as that. She had no authority over the others, nor was allowing for a majority vote. But more than that, Galim was insulting the other three Heads of Houses by essentially overriding their decisions or even undermining their abilities. Galim chose the one she knew the best, that was all it came down to. The position was not earned, it was biased.

Her gaze flickered to the others. She caught Caradoc's eye. He nodded and even... smiled slightly? Sigh. Even now, even after all of this... No. She refused to accept it, even if he seemed to have. It was not the sort of decision to make on the fly, nor was it her decision to make.

Hjørdis was not okay with it. Perhaps it was the way that the position was 'offered' to her or the fact it came from Galim. Either way, she rejected it. "The four Heads of Houses will lead. We are perfectly capable of leading and working together," She stated, with a blank expression on her face and a 'matter of fact' tone that indicated she was not really interested in anyone else's opinion on that, "If we need an interim headmaster, we are more than capable of deciding between ourselves, thank you." Hjørdis was definitely offended. Yes, she was ambitious, yes she liked power and authority. But she not as power hungry as people likely thought she was. Nor would she stand by whilst someone attempted to override three people she actually respected.

In this room, the number of people she respected or liked - or even found tolerable - was rare and few. In their own ways and for entirely different reasons, the three Heads had earned her respect - though, one of them certainly made her question that decision every time they met. They were all far more capable than Galim was giving them credit for, and Hjørdis knew very well that the four of them would have to work together to have any chance of protecting the students. They needed every single hand they could get.

Alaric had already offered to help the Dhampirs. He had an expertise in that field that no one else could related to. She had seen it first hand and she saw what was inside his heart that day. Though she knew very little about him, she admired his work ethic. Elaine was family, she trusted the woman enough to willingly call her that. Assisting with the cursed students, teaching dark arts, dealing with the ministry would all be tasked onto her. It was not easy juggling that workload but they were all necessary. And Caradoc was... well, Caradoc. Galim might not have seen it. Hell, Caradoc might not even have realised himself. But he had many admirable qualities that made him suitable for the role, even more than she was in her eyes. She did not trust anyone easily. Respect was hard enough to earn but her trust? That was far worse. And yet, she trusted him.

And he was right. Patrols would have to be tightened. Twenty four hours a day, seven days a week, no rest on the weekends or holidays. That was the way it would have to be. Two per patrol, especially at nights. Her mind started to race, trying to put everything together.

The Heads of Houses would have to meet again, to discuss the detailed running of the school and changes. She glanced at them. Should the school really even be open with all of this? They would need to figure everything out, and quickly.

Hjørdis did not know the full extent of everything they were dealing with here, it was clear that no one really did. It seemed far more complicated than they had first imagined. Those teaching would have to be careful what they taught. They needed to ensure every student knew spells, no matter how basic. Lumos might seem too basic to be used against the dark arts but it was a life saver for many Slytherins. Even those not teaching spells needed to be careful. Muggle studies promoted the idea of living in harmony with muggles. After what Alaric said and the 'evil blood war', they needed people of all blood statuses and breeds to be able to live in the school in harmony - not turn against each other. The professors who taught would be vital in shaping their minds. They had to remove the prejudice students had against part-giants following the ball or dhampirs.

She turned to the Slytherin professors. She felt bad for Rosalind, to be honest. The lady had just walked in and... this was her first impression of the school. Since Artemis had already volunteered for anything but specified the strengthening of the wards, Hjørdis confirmed his decision, "Vernatis, please check the wards. Kibitzer, meet me when you've settled in," She instructed, pocketing the copies she made of the notes. No one else had volunteered for the task but saying them all aloud, hopefully those who could would.

"My children need me. Send me an owl if there are any updates," Hjørdis continued, as she turned to the door and left. Her time was running up. She had her Slytherins to go tend to and she did not want to be away from them for too long - she had made that very clear from the start. Hjørdis did not bother waiting to be excused.

She was done with this. She was not stopping for anyone. Her Slytherins needed her presence far more than anyone else right now and... she had to go wreck her brain over the cryptic messages and the barrage of information. There was work to be done and her priority was protecting the students.

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