Smuggling Pranksters! Finished

Banner by Julia Evans

Interacting with:———@Lesmana Asmaralaya & @Flame Afterglow
Dialogue:———————#770B08
Date:—————————03.03.26
Date:—————————After dinner
Words:————————605

────────────────────────

Max looked down at his own feet about at the same time as Flame. Curse their luck for getting caught. It was sort of strange, the Professor did not really seem to mind. Even quipping a bit! The embarrassment burned all the same. He felt heat rise up his throat and fill his cheeks. He shuffled his feet a little as he drew up his shoulders and listened.

All plants deserved sun, and plenty of it. He was sure both the previous as well as the current Herbology professor would agree with him. But did he have the guts to raise his voice and call Professor Lesmana a liar? Not even close. He readjusted his grip on the pot as it was requested returned. He knew their little heist was over. All common sense could not tell him otherwise. Still, it was just a shame…

He looked over at his classmate as she confirmed the plant would be returned. She looked about as defeated as himself. He shuffled a bit as she went on rambling. Should he place Nibbles back in its usual spot, or should he hand it over to the awaiting hands? His gaze flickered uncertainly between the two options. It was such a shame, the dark and stuffy classroom. The greenhouses would be better suited by far.

He had all but decided to carefully put it back when Flame once again tried to take the blame. His gaze shot up and landed on her. Why was she so insistent? They weren’t even doing anything that wrong! It had been more his idea than hers anyway, and he was not about to let his friend suffer anything if he could help it. With a determined nod to himself he straightened, having gathered all the bravado only a twelve year boy could inhabit. His gaze found the professors with prideful smirk as he declared «No!»

The word came out in a bit of a different tone than he had imagined. Instead of calm and reasonable, it sounded like outright bragging. He managed to hold onto the attitude for all of a few seconds before it crumpled before him. His shoulders drew in a tiny bit and he dragged a hand through his hair in an attempt to gather his thoughts. «I mean… not yet.» Having gotten the sentence out he felt a bit better. He had a good plan, and he would not be stopped so easily. He thought for a moment. How to best make his point clear without calling out lies? He drew a deep breath.

«Nibbles would love the greenhouses. And just about every plant thrives there!» That would be success on marking his view, and closer to an epic fail on the untruth part. He stumbled a bit over his own words as he hurried to continue, a bit meeker now. «She wouldn’t be there for long, just… a bit?» His voice grew thinner as he spoke, leading the last part to end in the tone of a question.

Only at this point did he remember that being polite was perhaps not the silliest idea. His mum always made a point of telling him how good he was at it. He dreaded the possibility of her finding out about this on this side of his life cycle. So he spoke up once more. «Sir» He added it in a hurry. Then he looked back at Flame. Her expression was a difficult one to interpret. A bit of shock perhaps. His cheeks filled once more with the color of a ripe tomato. Perhaps he should just hand Nibbles over after all…

This should have been easy. No headache would come for that day. That was in his mind when the Lioness took the blame for herself. The Professor could only smile at her. The act wasn't really necessary in the first place. Lesmana didn't see it as a problem. The man had his own standard when classifying things, whether they were problematic or not. "Trouble... I don't see what has happened as a problem as long as you understand what I have said earlier, Miss Afterglow." The Professor shook his head. "So you don't have to do anything," he added.

However, it was too early for him to deem the situation as easy. The Lion started to show his fangs, which surprised him for a second. Brave, the Professor could say. The ancient Sorting Hat wasn't wrong about placing them in the house of Gryffindor. But what is Bravery without thoughtfulness and courtesy? The lack of wisdom to know when and how to act is nothing but mere recklessness.

Lesmana looked straight at the Lion's eyes. The polite gesture that had been put in the end didn't fix anything that had been caused by the previous act. It felt empty. As empty as the silence between them.

"A fair point, Mr Vidler," he started to fill the void and added, "I can see where you are coming from." His voice was calm and measured. He didn't rush his words. Every second that had passed had its own meaning, giving time for all of them to understand each other. "And as I said earlier, Mr Vidler. Professor Sarai Toussaint-Fleischer has given me instructions on Nibbles's care. She was even the person who gave Nibbles to me. I took care of it since it was little, and I still take care of Nibbles. Professor Jurema assists me as well. Nibbles is growing fine and healthy." The truth was opened. The sentiment was spilled. Perhaps it was needed to knock on whatever blocked the understanding.

And it was time to show the blunt point and the power. "What isn't fine here is your act," he said. "Thievery and disrespect," another paused came deliberately. "I was about to overlook this. You are making that difficult, Mr Vidler." His eyes still looked at the Lion. The Professor truly hated to do this, but he felt it was needed, for the best of them all. "This is your last opportunity. Return Nibbles."

@Flame Afterglow & @Maximilianus Kenneally Vidler

Code by Fawkes Chaos

WC: 301

Interactions:@Maximilianus Kenneally Vidler & @Lesmana Asmaralaya

DATE: March 3, 2026 TIME: After Dinner

Outfits: Black hoodie and Black shorts[/reducio]

Flame tried not to do a palm to forehead when Max decided to be rude to the professor. Not to mention that he tried to pull some of the blame back!!! She was trying to protect him and he was making it VERY hard! He said something stuff about not giving the plant back and Flame wanted to give it back but… she could see the reasoning behind Max’s words.

The problem was that before he had said any of that the professor had talked about letting them go! He had said he understood! This was one of the many reasons he was her favourite teacher, not that her knew it.

But as soon as Max started up his bravado, everything went downhill from there. At the start the professors said that he saw the point Max was making. He explained that the Herbology Professor had given the plant to him and told him how to handle it, but Flame could see he was being pushed over the edge.

Eventually the professor put his foot down. He told them this was thievery and disrespect. He also said that he had been willing to let this go by Max was making it hard for him. He told them that this was there last opportunity to hand over Nibbles.

Flame was about to panic. She could not believe Professor Asmaralaya had seen her like this. It was embarrassing and would surely make him think she was a horrible student. If it had been pretty much any other teacher Flame wouldn’t have cared.

She turned to Max trying not to visibly shake. “Max,” she said, trying to communicate with him silently. “Please give Nibbles back to the Professor.” She hoped that this didn’t all go further downhill, knowing Max was stubborn like Flame herself.

Banner by Julia Evans

Interacting with:———@Lesmana Asmaralaya & @Flame Afterglow
Dialogue:———————#770B08
Date:—————————03.03.26
Date:—————————After dinner
Words:————————915

────────────────────────

Max froze under the Professor’s gaze, meeting it for a moment longer than he probably should have. His fingers tightened slightly around the pot before he forced them to loosen again. His ears were properly burning now, the shade deepening. He looked over at Flame. She was embarrassed, that was easy to spot. He knew he should hand Nibbles over. A tiny voice in the back of his head was whispering that it was wrong what they were doing. At least what he had pulled off within the last minute. The unspoken promise of consequences only added to the gravity. It was not something to scoff over. Professor Lesmana was mostly cool, but that didn’t hinder the fact that he had power and authority as a teacher and as an adult. Still, he couldn’t just let it go. Not like this. If he only could make the potions professor see his side of things, there was no way he would disagree. He nodded at his friend, as if they were both privy to his inner dialogue and had agreed. Her words, though seeming sensible to everyone, could not persuade him.

«But it’s not proper thievery!» He blurted indignantly. He remained his hold on the pot, shifting his gaze to it. It wasn’t exactly how he had planned to start, but no use in crying over spilt milk. «It’s more like… Temporary relocation. For enrichment!» He finished a bit stilted, gesturing vaguely with one hand, before realizing he was still holding a carnivorous plant and stopped mid motion.

Nibbles shifted a bit and he adjusted instinctively, holding the pot a bit further away from his body. He let silence fall for a moment. The first words sounded worse said aloud, he had to admit that much. He pressed on anyway, considering his next words. «And we were going to bring her back. Bigger and better.» He continued, words picking up speed with him finding the flow. «That’s basically an upgrade. You’d still have her, just… improved?» He could feel it now, that he was losing ground. It made him antsy. So he shuffled his feet and swallowed.

«I just…» He stopped, jaw tightening as his head raced to put his thoughts into speakable words. When he opened his mouth next, frustration and upset shone through, making his accent broaden. «You said she’s fine. But fine isn’t always… right.» His shoulders curled a bit, more of the bravado slipping.

He seemed to be unable to stop the outpouring of words now. «At home, things grow better when they have what they need. I’ve seen it.» He went on, tone uneven, but still pushing through, because stopping felt worse. He dragged a hand through his hair. He could tell he was loosing, and he wanted to make his view undeniable. Her cast a glance at Flame. Being seen as a cool dude was important to him, but this couldn’t be helped. He was speaking as much to her as he was to the professor now. His accent thickened further along with the vulnerability. «I thought if I just did it…» He drew a breath before blurting the rest. Spilling a good deal more than he intended when first opening his mouth. «I thought if I did this properly, it’d be something I actually got right...» The last words were spoken in such a broad accent it was hard to understand, even to his own ears. He looked down, not really wanting to meet anybody’s eyes.

This was the point to stop, he knew that. He could feel it in his bones. He had made his point. Pushing furter would make those looming consequences as undeniable as them all standing there. He could not quite manage to make himself stop. Something told him he couldn’t end the spiel with some stupid confession, that would not do. So he jumped into the deep end. «And I don’t really see how it can be disrespect either. We were only trying to make it better.» He finished, lifting his chin just a fraction again, stubbornness flaring back up in the worst timing possible. «It’s not like we were going to keep her or anything.» Some might see what he was doing as digging his own grave. Max saw it differently. That he was a lion, there was no question. Brave, chivalrous and a bit over the top daring. Most of all he was probably in need of a course in «When to shut your mouth», that he could truly use. Because the lion was now certainly playing with fire.

With some last bit of guts and a touch of bitterness, he muttered «Nobody would get hurt, it’s not like it’s serious…» His stubbornness would be the downfall of him, just about anyone would be able to tell that much. He shifted his weight from one leg to the other, his gaze drifting briefly to the plants usual spot. After a second of hesitation, and a long look at Flame, he stomped the few steps to the plants usual resting place. «But fine.» He would never admit it, but the tone sounded near a tantrum even to his own ears. He carefully placed Nibbles back before turning on his heel and threw his arms out. «There!» He did not quite dare meet the eyes of either. He looked at his friends chin, before settling on Professor Lesmanas collar. «Happy?» The spark had left his tone now, nerves and regret slowly taking its place.

The Professor listened to the Lion. He took every words that came from his roar. He studied every gesture and movement, understood the intention in silence. Sometimes he put his gaze to the Lioness and saw they she wasn't really comfortable in this position. Poor her. Trapped in a situation that probably she didn't expect either. No one expected this, including Lesmana. But it was learning process for all of them in that room.

Once the Lion put the carnivorous plant back to its place, Lesmana finally opened his mouth. "I'm aware that you did not intent any harm, Mr Vidler," he paused. His voice remained calm. The leniency he put earlier has faded and replaced by a cold and clear tone. "However, intent alone does not make an action right."

He moved his gaze to Nibbles, doing a brief check on the plant, before shifting to the Lioness and finally settling on the Lion. "You decided what was better without understanding what was already being done, even after I told you about it. Twice." Another pause filled the void, adding to the cold that already lingered in the dungeon.

"That is not improvement, as you stated." He lowered his voice and said the next word in a slow and clear tone, "That is assumption."

More silence lingered just long enough to let the words settle. The Professor then added, "Nibbles is being cared for exactly as it should be. And that..." his gaze sharpened, not in a harsher way, but to show the firm in certainty, "was never yours to change."

"You wanted to do something right," he said, not as a question, but more of a statement. "Then next time, Mr Vidler..." He shifted his gaze to the Lioness, "And you too, Miss Afterglow," he added as an important remark that she was no less involved, "Begin by understanding. Not deciding."

The Professor thought for a second, deciding if he should escalate this or not.

"This matter ends here," he finally said after internally calculating the decision. "Alohomora," he cast the spell to the locked door. A soft click was heard, the door could be opened now. "You may leave the classroom now. It isn't good for you to stay outside the dorm this late."

Before seeing them off, he added, "I hope you can reflect on what happened today, not only from your perspective, but also from others."

"Good night."

@Flame Afterglow & @Maximilianus Kenneally Vidler

Code by Fawkes Chaos

WC: 242

Interactions:@Maximillianus Kenneally Vidler & @Lesmana Asmaralaya

DATE: 03/03/26 TIME:After dinner

Outfits:

Reducio

Black hoodie and black shorts

Flame looked at Max when he bodded at her. She had a vague feeling that he was agreeing to put it down but still making one last stand. She sighed and waited to see how it would go over.

Max talked about the plant and how fine wasn’t always right and made a really big speech. Halfway through he looked kinda embarrassed but he kept on pushing through. When he reached the end he went and put the plant back and then looked a little nervous/ angry / frustrated and would not meet Flames eyes. Flame desperately wanted to go give him a hug cause it looked like he needed one. Hugs always made her feel better. But at the same time she didn’t want to startle him or just do it in the middle of the classroom. She decided she would wait until they left, that is, if they ever did get to leave.

She looked back to the prof when he started speaking. He talked about how what they did wasn’t okay and Flame would be overly surprised if they ever did get to leave. But he unlocked the door and let them off with a warning! Flame felt some of her panic calm down and gave the professor a lopsided smile. “Thanks you professor!” she said. “It won’t happen again!” at least not to him…
Flame walked past him and into the hall, waiting for Max to follow.

Banner by Julia Evans

Interacting with:	@Flame Afterglow & @Lesmana Asmaralaya
Dialogue:	#770B08
Date:	3rd of March, 2026
Date:—————————	After dinner
Words:	515

────────────────────────

His confidence had popped like a balloon, leaking quickly and leaving just an empty shell behind. Meeting anybody’s eyes felt impossible, so he lowered his head to look at his own feet. Shame and guilt churned in his gut with all the calmness of a tornado. That was all before the potions professor even opened his mouth to speak.

It was clear enough without looking up that the emotion in the room had turned. It made him want to hunch his shoulders and apologize thoroughly. For the moment he did neither. He managed a small nod at the mention of intent. He truly hadn’t meant any harm, either of them really. A good laugh and an adventure, that was all. He didn’t really understand what had come over him to refuse to give it up either. He was sensible, at least somewhat so. But there was no going back in time to fix his stupidity.

Twice. The word made him want to flinch. A full body reaction. Just to show how little he himself understood the reason for his previous actions. He did not let his instinct surface, but bit back a bit of a wince. He lifted his head slightly, to gauge reactions. Flame seemed just as uncomfortable as himself. He probably owed her an apology too, he shouldn’t forget. Professor Lesmana could indeed be sort of scary. Silence didn’t usually bother him, but this one seemed as stuffed and uncomfortable as it possibly could. He lowered his head again.

How was it possible for someone to control a space this much? Max found himself pondering this as each new word from the man seemed to add to the weight of uncomfortableness in his stomach. Of course he should have asked first. What had they been thinking? What did he, Max, know anyways? Not much, if one asked about any adult in the castle. So why had he been so adamant on knowing what was best? Idiot. A pure dumbass acting like he knew better than anyone. It was almost laughable.

The next words did not make sense. At all. It spurred him to lift his head in confusion. They were… let go? He looked a bit from side to side. He almost expected another member of staff to jump out and yell «Surprise!», sort of like a birthday party, only the opposite. When seconds passed without either the professor or anyone arriving declaring their leave a joke, he looked to Flame.

She didn’t seem to see it as suspicious, which made him jump into action. «Thank you!» He parroted automatically and kicked his feet into motion. Crossing the room, but he halted at the door, looking back with more than a bit of trepidation. «And I’m really sorry, sir. I don’t know what…» He cut himself off. If he was to apologize, it would be an apology and not excuses. «It won’t happen again.» He finally finished, biting his lip slightly. He didn’t quite dare to add a cautious smile, so he simply nodded. «Goodnight» With that he followed Flame into the corridor.