A Meeting PV

Alan glanced around the table slightly nervous, when Thomas, a boy he had met over the last summer and a couple of times throughout the school year, was asking for who the host of the meeting was. Technically he was one of them, even though it had been mostly Evelynn's idea to actually plan this meeting. Alan had brought up the possibility or wish that the prefects could do more and possibly try to exchange information but it was Evelynn who had taken that loose idea and made it a possibility. So nervously he would glance over to Evelynn, waiting for her to say something as he rapped his fingers against the tabletop nervously. He would quickly be distracted by Tiger's purrs as he tuned in on the feline, gladly accepting the distraction as he began to lightly comb his fingers through the spotted fur. "W-Well..." he muttered, glancing at Evelynn. "It was mostly Evelynn who organized all of this, but I helped a little... I th-thought it would be a nice idea to each get onto the same level and make up some sort of plan?" he tried to explain. He was not really good at explaining things like this to a big mass, even if they were only about 16 people. But Alan couldn't keep up with the silence about this any longer. He wondered, no he hoped, that Evelynn had some kind of plan for how this could go. "The idea itself is simple, our job is to keep the students safe and be like a bridge between students and professors but recently there are a lot of secrets and dangers and I feel like that makes the school a bit unsafe... and I think there should be something that can be done if we all work together..." He was done talking and leaned back in his seat, he probably wouldn't have been able to do this if it wasn't for the simple distraction and mind focus that Tiger offered to be and Alan was grateful that he had brought the feline to the meeting. Now he just had to hope that no chaos broke loose.

Mentions: @Thomas Lestrange | @Nico Shymane | @Sylvain Wyllt

Though River didn’t feel she’d have much to contribute in this specific meeting, she was just happy to get a chance to interact more with the other prefects of the different houses. As more and more people arrived, she felt a stronger and stronger urge to just sit back in the shadows and observe what would be going on from a distance. Sort of get a lay of the land. After all she had no clue how many of these people were like, maybe they’d even see arguments and disagreements burst out. Not that that would be surprising considering they were many different individuals around this table.

River leaned forward and slowly reached for a biscuit, taking a bite of the dry treat, wiping the corners of her mouth. She noticed Sylvain, who’d sat down in the seat next to her, bring up a sheet of parchment. He then signed his name and pushed it over to River, she gave him a quick smile, picked up the quil, being careful not to spill any ink on the paper, before neatly writing her name down beneath Sylvains. She looked to her left and saw a boy she’d not really learnt the name of yet (Thomas). Though she slipped the piece of parchment to him and handed him the quill.
Realizing how she only knew the names of a few of the members, she thought it smart to follow Sylvains idea and she brought out her own paper and quill. She folded it and wrote her name in large enough letters to be read across the table, should anyone need to address her through the meeting.

As she sat there, River found all the different interactions between the people here interesting. Some seemed very well acquainted, and some left a feeling of ice. Like some tension was unresolved somewhere in the room.
The only subject she felt she’d have an input on herself would be the whole situation with the Headliner and that one article. All the issues surrounding Dhampires and the entire event that went down in the Great Hall. That would be where she ever really interacted with the slytherin prefect Nico. River had found a new level of respect for the girl after that day, she was truly impressed and admired how she’d spoken that day.

I used Peri’s seating-layout from discord for reference.

Mentions: @Alan Vanes

Interacting with Sylvain, Evelyn, Alan, Xailah
Mentioning Frost, Quinn, Phaedra, Koko, Thomas, Annie
(Fluff ends around the 5th paragraph it couldn't be helped)

Welcomed with a chocolate frog, Pericles accepted without hesitation, answering Sylvain's small smile with a warmer one. "Thank you," he breathed, voice at library level. The gathering's aura of officiality had cast a hush over side-talk. Despite this, he quirked an eyebrow in amusement when handed the sign-in sheet, seeming to find it a tad too formal. A playful sort of squint, that of someone who thinks they're in on a secret, slid towards Sylvain. It was shaped by the inaccurate assumption that it was he who called them there, given the managerial move of creating a roster. He signed all the same, jotting Pericles D. down with a relaxed scrawl and punctuating period, then slid it to the side. A leather satchel was slid from his shoulder, to be hung from the back of his chair, where the boxed frog joined its contents.

Enter Evelynn, fellow Headliner writer and prefect, as well as the co-captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team. Not to mention, a kindred curiosity. Like himself, Evelynn harbored an active interest for the obscurities of Hogwarts, only she was more of an organizer, possessing a voice capable of gathering investigators. While very much the hands-on sort, Pericles had spent so much of his life tackling troubles on his own that he often forgot to involve others. It made him especially grateful to whomever had rallied them, as he had yet to develop into the type which would call meetings. The Gryffindor girl supplied the table with fragrant pasties, and although he didn't help himself as invited, Peri passed her a welcoming smile and echoed a "good evening" back. Goodies were becoming all the more tempting. Varied aromas of treats and tea tantalized the senses, and Frost contributed a batch of croissants and thumbprint cookies, the latter of which were a favorite of his. A kid could only hold out for so long when sweets were in abundance.

That passively pleased look grew to a glow when Alan sat besides him, swiftly turning into a rueful smile when he asked about Athena. "Oh," he sighed, "she spends most of the day in the dormitory. I didn't want to bother her with a walk all the way down from the tower, just to sit on the sidelines of a prefect meeting." The Siamese took her keeper's lack of assertiveness as an open invitation to be as lazy as felinely possible. Xailah, who was especially experienced when it came to cats, made short work of implying as much. Peri shrugged off the truth with a shift of shoulders, answering evenly, "When one door closes, another opens...." He might have been unable (or unwilling) to coax his cat along, but he could still steal hers. Schrödinger was so close yet so far. He answered the beckoning invitation to cross the table, only to be stopped and scooped away. Xai's taunting yellow gaze was answered with wide eyes, awarded with the sought-after pout, mouth bowing and arms opened in a too clear expression of But Why? That was evidently enough to pay his bail, and the gelatinous mass known as Schrödinger joined him, immediately renewing a sleepy smile and eyes lidded in affection. She wished aloud that he would bring Athena about more often. "I'll try," Pericles assured his friend absently, but it was clear he was completely content to stroke the big gray blob.

There was only so much comfort that his fat little friend could provide. Quinn showed a sliver of unrest, and although it was both brief and righteous, a half-giant's temper could effortlessly change the mood of a room. It was accredited to that uncharacteristically nasty Headliner article, the mere mention of it enough to cast Peri's gaze downward. Rather than meet anyone's eye, the lad frowned uneasily into the gray abyss of Schrödinger's belly fur. Despite the counter-article he had written, the Ravenclaw still suffered guilt by association, which did not lessen as Xailah described those overseeing the newspaper as a pair of monkeys. He sent her an upwards glance. With it was a familiar look: Peri might have softly said her name in a discouraging tune, par the norm when she was feeling feisty and decided to deride others. For fear of appearing biased however, he held his tongue and looked away again. The hand not tickling a cat held his chin, elbow propped to the table, cradling his head. Then entered Phaedra as if on queue, senior among the Ravenclaw prefects since Cecily's "retirement", and just as significantly, the Headliner's Editor in Chief as well as a fellow duellist. Pericles' posture shifted. He lowered his hands, straightened his spine, spent a second (or four) staring at the arrival, opened his mouth as if to answer her question, only to stall and see it answered instead by Koko. His jaw closed and he took an interest in the Earl Gray packets the Slytherin prefect pushed to the center of the table.

In an effort to look less lethargic, Pericles decided to mirror the three of his fellow eagles, belatedly drawing a leather-bound notebook from his satchel. It was placed to the side of the massive feline sprawled before him. Spectacles were plucked from a pocket and nestled neatly above the bumped bridge of his nose. Quinn made mention of a missing "Lazy Boyo", which could be none other than Jack Warren. "Nor Ruby Cazares," he chimed in, for even though she belonged to the Slytherin staff, she was his friend. Thomas reiterated him, asking who their concerned colleague was, and Pericles bounced off of this again, playing contemplative badminton with who's and why's. "Were we summoned to talk about the current state of things," a look at Quinn who had mentioned the article, reminding them of recent tensions, "or to track the events which led to today?" One would make for a much longer meeting. Still, there was a need for direction, more aptly, a directive. Even if the point of this gathering was to seethe and swap the most recent calamities in a state of conversational chaos, it was best to know what they were all in for.

Then, Alan explained that he and Evelyn had the idea to bring them all together, dashing his earlier assumption while not surprising him in the least. They were precisely the types to take on organizing a meet. Their purpose was simple on the surface, but a challenge to act on: how could they help their peers? "The Students" was a phrase which kept coming up. He didn't care for the otherness it invoked, that they were somehow separate, rather than simply being the bearers of greater responsibility. Pericles resumed raking Schrödinger's flab with short fingernails, mulling over the matter as Annie spoke. "Well..." came his mellow murmur, "...we are students, just the same. What is the current atmosphere in each House?" He looked around the table. "What are the prominent concerns, or questions? The Slytherin Curse was a given. "We couldn't hide everything from the masses, not that we should, and I suspect a great many of our peers know as much- or more- as some of us. How would we want to be helped?"

Summary: Mentions Ruby is also missing. Asks for tea (the relevant gossip kind) from the different houses, and suggests they think about how they themselves would want to be helped, so to give that back to their non-prefect peers.

It was clear that not only Slytherin was having a hard time keeping their wits about them. Hogwarts was a breeding hotspot for trouble and trauma. But that was a given at this point. As Quinn finished his signs of affection, Nico tried to brush her hair back in place with her fingers, inbetween petting Irene. As she did, Quinn spoke up in the group. She hadn't expected this. This very mature, leading type of Quinn. He was very serious and spoke from the heart and from his experiences. Just like hers, they haven't been great. He said his part and after all that, he still found the time to smile at her and gently caress her cheek with his big hand. It was so caring and cherishing, the dhampir couldn't help but turn beetred once more. Why did he have to do this infront of everyone else?! He surely has grown quite the charmer.
Recollecting her thoughts and emotions, Nico eventually managed to drain the blush from her face, leaving only her make-up blush. In her rather calm state of mind, she'd notice Koko on the otherside of the table, flashing a small smile at her. Koko probably didn't realise how much this warmed the dhampirs sundeprived heart. Nico couldn't help but smile bright back. Koko didn't hate her. That was amazing.

As her pale hands gently rubbed Irenes belly, the redhead started to find more courage to talk infront of all these new people. Or mostly new people. The faces weren't very new, but she barely had any idea who they were as a person. Maybe she could make her points clear to them, just as she did during the T.Ruth incident. She carefully cleared her throat before putting herself on the spot.

'Well... I'm not sure how far we want to look back at... these disastrous events. Last year? Two years ago? The many fires at the many balls. Kidnappings. About most of them I don't know alot of details, I'll be frank. Students talk. And they do love to talk.' She sighed softly, her head slightly tilting to the side, surpressing certain memories she wasn't fond of. 'Slytherin had spiders. Alot of the students had scars, I... wasn't spared either. It's rough every week until the time we get our dose of medecine.' Her hand subconciously reached to the back of her neck where one of the many scars she had, was located. 'To this day, we still aren't sure what this ... curse... is and who did this to us. Unless, I missed that memo somewhere.' She shortly glanced at both Koko and Thomas. Maybe the other Prefects of the other Houses knew more about it then they did themselves. Hogwarts worked in mysterious ways.

'The events that followed after were intense and really tested Slytherin. I don't like... to bring it up... But at one point we were forced to fight each other. Like in a boxing ring.' Her eyes flickered to the table. 'Adults were... cheering us on. Placing bets...' Red tears welled up in the corners of her eyes. 'That place... it brought out the worst... in each other. In me.' Her head hung low, hiding her face. Her eyes met with Quinn's cat, Irene, who was still peacefully laying on her lap. It gave her comfort. Swiftly with the back of her sleeve she'd wipe away her tears before calmy sitting back up, chin held high. 'Around the same time, I was out with two other students, one named Maria, a Hufflepuff, and another named Dealla, a Ravenclaw. We ended up meeting together with Marion. I'm unsure if this name rings a bell to other Houses, but in Slytherin she had been quite known for things going wrong or drama...' She cleared her throat again, using her pinky to peel away some hair that got stuck on her cheek in some dried blood of her tears.

'Marion brought us to this... bookstore. In there we met some people who were planning to do a strike. To raise awareness about... racism and discrimination towards... basicly everyone who isn't a Pureblood. I saw a dhampir, a werewolf...' A flash of memory came back to her, remembering how embarassed she was when he tried to smell her. So weird... Her cheeks flushed red slightly at the thought of it. '... a half-giant and a half-goblin. They all were treated like they were... inferior. It was terrible. The Half-Giant was a well-read professor who taught English at an University. The Half-Goblin was too human to go work at Gringotts and even though his father was a wizard, the wizard side inside of him wasn't magical enough to own a wand. So... he.. ended up working at a morgue..' She became quiet for a hot minute. Once more reliving the past as the things that were said back then, made more sense now. 'Th-The werewolf boy... he got put in a cage by his own parents...' Once more, she tried to hold back a few tears. 'E-Either way, they were all treated in a different way. With close to no respect. These people were part of a group called S.C.A.R.. Fighting or trying to raise awareness about... well... People who are unpure, in some groups books. And that they don't deserve to be treated this way.'

Nico stopped for a moment, allowing the Prefects to take it all in. Carefully watching every one of them, she'd then carefully pick up from where she left. 'Which brings me to my next point. Not too long ago, we had a ... what could've been a riot, in the Great Hall. Concerning the article that we all have heard of or read about by now. The one written by a so called T. Ruth. If by chance there was someone who hasn't read it, this article writes about how one can, basicly, hunt down a dhampir. What their weaknesses are and what makes them dangerous. Let me say this now before someone interupts me, but I'm not against freedom of speech. If you want to write something I won't stop you. You're free to write about whatever you want. But this article, even if it might've been an attempt to write something informative in an innocent way, it can be read as hostile. As an instingation to start witch hunts. We have had someone who actively did so. Aurélia Bezuidenhout, who actively tried to bait Kaegan into attacking her. She... did so with me at some point aswell. And this was even way before this article was written.' She sighed softly, catching her breath. She wasn't used to talking this much or this passionately. It was different. 'E-Excuse me. All I can add more is that... Students talk. I think alot of peers already have a sense of what is happening, and I fear they'll try to play the hero and get themselves hurt. As... kids love to do...' She sighed once more, carefully laying back into her chair, slowely gaining her breath again. 'I-..I don't feel safe in my own House...' She muttered softly, ashamed to mention that fact

@Quinn Healy

Open to Interactions

Mentions most either directly or indirectly

Quinn did what he did best. He observed and listened. Making no attempt to hide his activity he simply observed eyes falling over each prefect present. Leaning back into his seat, the chair creaked dangerously. As if at any given moment it would give. Quinn was just thankful that the chairs had been reinforced...at least he hoped so.

Otherwise this would be something dreadfully funny to laugh at later and be embarrassed about in the moment. His mind just as quickly, brought itself back to the present task. The notable voice in his head pushed to the background for the time being. The only sign it was there. Being the momentary frown of discomfort Quinn showed then hid rather expertly.

Continuing to observe various reactions his eyes were drawn over to Nico Shymane as she began to speak. The manner in which she spoke and the events she revealed, some he knew and others he never pushed her on, was a surprise. A pleasant surprise but at the mention of her along with other students being forced to fight with each other for the seeming entertainment of some adults. That got his blood boiling causing him to crack part of the table he was unknowingly gripping. Finger indentations left along with very small cracks around him. Taking a deep breath he calmed himself, bringing back his mind.

Quinn's expressions grew sullen at her last words. With a heavy sigh, Quinn let a hand gently rest on her shoulder squeezing it with very careful and practiced pressure. His eyes wondered over to Sylvain to finally address his earlier remarks with a friendly if tired smile. "Guess I'll speak at length again. So if ya will allow me, I'll try to keep this brief as I can. Please wait to correct me after I'm done I don't feel like repeating myself today." As Quinn, had done in the past, he pushed down his accent as much as he could until it was relatively light and his words were a lot clearer. Less hampered by his usually thick and heavy accent.

"First Sylvain. I appreciate the honest words. You've no idea what that means to me." He started off his smile widening a bit. "Second, there isn't much you can do outside of what quite a few present in this room have already done. Treat me like a normal kid. Which believe me I know is hard given my appearance and behavior at times." He chuckled thinking back to some of the smart jabs Jack Warren through at him. "Though, I'll be sure to let you know if I can think of anything." His smile fell a little bit now.

"Well with that out of the way. Let's address a few things." He looked over to the number of prefects that were seated near Pericles and then over to the area where Eve was seated in. "I won't speak for my whole house nor will I diminish the other houses experiences by saying Hufflepuff has been hit the hardest. However, our house has suffered quite a bit." Leaning forward he removed his hand from Nico's shoulder his tone growing serious. Freckled brow furrowing into a slight frown. He had started making his second cup of mint tea.

"Annie. Frost. Correct me if I missed anything. I'm sure everyone here is aware of that funny little joke that's circulated about our house since most of the older ones here were first years. You know the one about us badgers being fire retardant. Ironically it seems like many of the more dangerous incidents involving our house in particular have been fire related. Like when more recently a giant feckin hole was put in the middle of the common room and quite a few of our fellow badgers fell right through into the dungeons. Severely hurt, some burned, and still very much in danger." He sighed pinching the bridge of his nose. "Before that I'm aware of a few other incidents but I'll let the others speak more on that." He got back to brewing his tea, almost done now as he let his words sink in.

"How about we also address all the events we've held here. The major ones. Seems like just about everyone we hold ends, in spectacular disaster. Most of you are aware why I no longer attend most of them unless dragged or personally asked." He laughed bitterly. "Seems like I get attacked every time I try to help at these events. Whether its by another student or a beastie." Finished with his tea he took a slow sip letting it calm him. "And that brings us to the T. Ruth articles." His eyes fell over all the prefects who were part of the paper.

"A lot has already been said on that, but let me make it abundantly clear. It does not matter what the intent behind those articles were. They are damaging, inconsiderate, and insensitive of those students that are different. They do not account for the fact that Hogwarts as flawed as our beloved school is a sanctuary for many, myself included. It should feel that way because outside those walls. I know exactly where I stand. I know exactly what many think of many. I'm also abundantly aware that most if not all of you have been briefed on my disorder." Quinn grew uncomfortable when he spoke the words.

"And my...very regrettable actions at the um...championships last summer. Provoked or not...it should not have happened and I should have been far more open with the people here I work with." He chuckled nervously. "A-Anyway back to my points. These articles help to um..." He coughed a bit trying to regain some of his composure taking another sip of the tea. "....help to antagonize the minority population of students who aren't what many consider normal or not fully human. This just makes tensions worse and I won't speak for anyone else but it also makes that individual feel threatened like they're being hunted. Like they're not even given a chance to prove themselves otherwise. So while I agree freedom of speech is important and should be protected. That doesn't mean freedom from consequences should also be accepted." He finally stopped talking letting everyone hear his words. Giving them time to sink in.

"Look, I've caused a lot of trouble for a lot of people. Intentional or not. But as I stated earlier these articles from my point of view just divide the student population. Context and phrasing is key as the paper has taught me. More importantly to bring all of this back to the topic at hand. The student population needs to be made better aware of the situation. Too many incidents are happening to keep things quiet and we've failed too many times to keep their trust. So perhaps being a bit more open will help the situation as a whole." Leaning back again he finally set the cup down and rubbed his temples feeling Harlin up to his antics and just exhausted from talking now.

The entire time Irene had kept up with her snuggles on Nico, before sensing her owner's distress and moving to his lap. Soon climbing up to his shoulder to rub up against his cheek purring. Something Quinn very much appreciated a smile returning.

Interacting with: Thomas, Alan, Quinn, Ravenclaw Prefects

Hexcode= #507091

"Good work!" Sylvain said to Alan, referencing his and Evelynn's decision to hold a meeting. "I think it was a good idea," he spoke, this time his mouth half-full of chocolate frog, his actions showing clear intent on interrupting Thomas and Alan before their conversation evolved further. Motioning to the bit of parchment passed over to Thomas by River, Sylvain insisted on keeping attendance going. "Mind signing the sheet with your names?" A sheepish smile accompanied his last request, "and if you could pass it along when you're done..." With as little as a nod of acknowledgement, his attention was already somewhere else. Bouncing between Annie and Pericles as they brought up confidentiality.

Nodding in agreement with Pericles's line of thought, Sylvain kept his mouth zipped tight. Both Annie and Peri had made good points. There wasn't much reason in keeping the information that they had come to discuss all to themselves, at least not yet. Eventually the other students would find out the course of history on their own, and when it came to light that the Prefect Body had made the decision to bury secrets instead of reveal them it would surely result in misery. Instead, they needed to control the flow of information. They needed to inform the students in a way that was conducive to their safety. Perhaps a journal or book of eye witness statements regarding the events could be made to pass around to new students, or some kind of paper with the summarized information could be disseminated. Before that train could leave the station however, Nico held it up with her own account. A train of thought for later, Sylvain would simply note down: Eye Witness Statements.

Listening to Nico recount her firsthand experiences was a tough ordeal even for someone who'd never lived through it. On the one hand, Sylvain wanted to rush over and give her a big hug to tell her it would be alright, and on the other he struggled to hold back his own tears in the effort to remain respectful. The information that S.C.A.R. was a group attempting to raise awareness was news to him, but that she didn't feel safe in the Slytherin Dorms wasn't shocking in the least bit. He had heard of the shadow spiders and of their lingering curses, and it didn't take a genius to see why the lower levels of the castle might feel unsafe. Little did any of them know a similar type of attack would happen in Ravenclaw's tower next month.

When Quinn, having given the more immediate questions a more immediate answer, turned back to face Sylvain, the lad would merely nod in acknowledgment to the giant's request. Hardly a difficult request to comply with, Quinn would find no protest. His smile grew when Quinn turned to address the others, this time as a group. He winced at the mention of fire, trying his best to imagine a sizable hole in the middle of the Hufflepuff common room. Though imagining a Hogwarts ball on fire was not nearly as difficult. What struck Syl as particularly interesting, earning the shifting of his eyebrows, was the lack of detail surrounding the "incident over summer," though it seemed more personal than anything serious the way he dropped it just as quickly.

Looking to the other Ravenclaw prefects, hesitant to be the first to speak up, Sylvain recalled last summers events in the Forbidden Forest and then the sighting of a dark misfit during the Halloween Costume Party. Surely the other three had their own account of events, and his might differ entirely from his narrow perspective, but someone had to be the first to go and so he took it as his own responsibility. "Well..." he started without much confidence to lean on, nervous about speaking up in front of so many others. "Last year, nearly the whole house of Ravenclaw waltzed right into a trap in the middle of the Forbidden Forest." It stung a little to admit they had been fooled.

"We followed Vladimir Athanatos into the Forest," he did his best to remember the most vibrant details. "There was some kind of gingerbread man, a flaming acromantula, and.." running out of breath, he paused for a moment, remembering the feeling of sharp pain as a rock lay protruding from his foot. "And the Forest itself began attacking us." He shook himself a little, at first to clear his head, then again to ward off the chill associated with the next feeling. "I don't remember a whole lot, but if it hadn't been for Caradoc and Alaric we would all have been toast." When he finished, he looked back to the others seeking encouragement or support.

@Alan Vanes @Evelynn Decipio @Thomas Lestrange @Annie Morgan @Pericles Dralt @Nico Shymane @Quinn Healy @River Dewlight @ Caradoc Browne @ Alaric Equinox

[font=Tempus Sans ITC]L[/font]et's be frank. Everything about Hogwarts is and will be an absolute shitshow. It doesn't matter who, when, where, or why, there was always something that was about to be made completely FUBAR. If you were to succeed at surviving the hellish torment that is the Wizarding World School System, you would need to understand that one fundamental truth. However, on that note, it was safe to say that Sir Jack Warren absolutely loved the seed of chaos that sprouted from the ground and formed the large stone walls of this castle. The kid was not your stereotypical Hufflepuff. He might fall under several titles such as instigator, provocateur, antagonist, discordian, so on and so forth. Even with his somewhat anarchistic tendencies, Jack took his job very seriously. Work hard, play hard, and then reap the rewards. The philosophy that he has subscribed to is that those in power can bend the rules to their liking, and Jack has made a habit of doing so. Which very much included showing up at a designated time. If you're on time, you're either a loser or a kiss ass. It was hardly an enlightened perspective but still, it was the position he was willing to hold.

[font=Tempus Sans ITC]T[/font]oday's reason for his tardiness might be considered laziness... he was napping. He was planning on being on time for once, but the second his head hit the pillow, the boy was out like a light. Thankfully he hadn't slept for too long, but his changing out of the school-required prison suit was a must. The scruffy boy would change into anything else any chance he could. Jack held the strong belief that uniformity was dreadfully boring. So with a pair of grey athletic shorts, a black hoodie, bedhead hair, and a black and yellow prefect badge tacked onto his waistband (An aesthetic he totally didn't steal from old school American cop films), the boy made his way to the supposed "MEETING OF MEETINGS".

[font=Tempus Sans ITC]T[/font]he lazy prefect only stood at the entrance for a couple of minutes before deciding to bust in. At least he was courteous enough to make a grand entrance during a lull in the conversation, and as an added plus he was sure to grab all the attention. Stepping heavily into the room the boy struck a pose, like a hero finally come to save people from the dreary conversation. (Judging by the look on Sly's face, it was probably needed. "Don' worry, I'm here! I'm sure you all were missin' me anyways." Lifting his chin, Jack gave out a dazzling shit-eating grin as he glanced around the room languidly. "I'm assumin' we got all past the borin' chit-chat, yeah? 'Ave we talked about the fire and living darkness underneath the common room?" Small talk, nor conversational courtesy, was a strong point of the boy's social etiquette.

[font=Tempus Sans ITC]M[/font]oving with purposeful nonchalance in his step, the dramatic Huffle moved and plopped down in one of the only empty chairs left, in between the Slytherin and Ravenclaw prefects (He honestly had little clue about their names). Had he even met seventy-five percent of people in the room? Hell if he knew, but he assumed that if the other prefects didn't know him by reputation alone, then they didn't know anything. The narcissism was quite apparent. At least he managed to show up before all the juicy bits got out. Finally, with his grand entrance now complete, he managed to give acknowledging nods towards Thomas, Quinn, Xailah, and anybody else he would make eye contact with.

It was terribly unfair, the notion that mothers could have eyes on the backs of their heads. Where did that saying even come from, anyway? Was that possible in the wizarding world? Had some frustrated witch who kept losing track of her children figure out a way to transfigure herself or conjure a spare set of eyes? So many other things that Evelynn had thought to be fabrications of an over-active imagination in the muggle world had turned out to have roots of realism within the wizarding world. Perhaps this was another. Regardless, it would have been a helpful thing in times such as this as fellow prefects trickled in to the meeting area, expressions and quiet greetings were exchanged, and so many little nuances could be gleaned. She could only keep her gaze in a single direction, however, and so missed quite a bit. Such as Vanes' silent look imploring her to get the meeting started, or Riddle's greeting as the Slytherin Keeper had entered. Among others.

Instead, for a short while, she'd had eyes only for the boy sitting across from her. Although she'd held no specific expectations on how he may have reacted to her choice of seating, she couldn't deny the little trill to her pulse as he met her gaze and held it. The challenge she had been uttered had been acknowledged and accepted. He wasn't going to run. Neither was he going to lose his composure as D'Spacito might have in a similar situation. Instead, he uttered but two words: "Nice catch." A simple sentiment, and one that could hold several meanings although she doubted he would be genuinely complimenting her detective skills given how defensive he had been during their last encounter. On the other hand, the catch against Slytherin had been anything but a nice one. Ravenclaw's had been decent, however.

"I suppose you could say I don't fall victim to nerves," she replied coolly, shrugging a brow.

Her lips parted as though she were going to say something else, but if there was anything further to be delivered, nothing came. With a twitch at the corner of her mouth, grey eyes deviated from Lestrange towards the towering boy sitting near to him. The graveling intonation of her own name had caught her attention. Eve. Her mouth closed, corners upturning into the image of a reserved and humbled smile as Healy addressed her. A dip of her chin was all that she managed to give in response to his greeting at first. The kneejerk reaction had been to correct him. She still found it odd just how readily her peers seemed to drop formalities and slap intimate nicknames as they pleased. Really, in some ways, it was a shame she wasn't born a pureblood. Despite Grey's claims to the contrary, it was quite possible she'd fit right in.

"It's a pleasure to finally make proper acquaintance with you as well, Healy," Evelynn responded after the second or two needed to suffocate her initial reflex.

A brief glance to Shymane noted her flustered expression and the intimacy between the two of them. The revelation of their relationship wasn't entirely new knowledge to Evelynn. There had been subtle cues now and then throughout the halls and various gathering, but nothing that had been definitive until now. That would have to be filed away for later. For now, no comment or outward reaction was provided. Her gaze carried on to settle on the two new arrivals. Neither were in Evelynn's year, but Morgan at least was somewhat familiar given her prior status as a quidditch player. The unfamiliar girl (Frost) was quite pretty, Evelynn noted, in a sort of rural-girl-next-door kind of way. Soft. That's what came to mind. She knew nothing of the girl, and yet, her arrival brought with it an image of a sunny summer afternoon with a field of sunflowers and reading a wholesome book with the caress of a cool breeze and the temptation of delicious home-made cookies.

Morgan, on the other hand, carried an aura almost in complete contrast. Walls had evidently been erected long before her arrival in the room, evidenced all the more by the way she fidgeted. Where her friend was calm, Morgan was restless. Small. Inwardly turned, it was as though she were trying to hide away from the world with how small she kept her voice and mumbled her words. Perhaps she was trying to keep the rest at bay, go unnoticed. Or maybe she'd needed to be dragged to the meeting and was soured about having to maintain a presence here. It was too soon to tell, but as Evelynn regarded her, something else caught her eye. As Morgan reached out in apparent desire to soothe an appetite, she fumbled. A slight squint of eyes were accompanied by a loft of brow as the girl failed a second attempt. It was only after a few seconds of feeling around for the plate that Evelynn remembered a comment from somewhere of a blind prefect. This must have been her. No wonder she had dropped from the team, then. Again, curiosity rose as to how that had come about..

Her curiosity would be short-lived, however—at least for now—as Vanes spoke up. Snapping back to the presence, Evelynn cleared her throat quietly and straightened. A tinge of pink wisped the edges of her ears and across the bridge of her nose as he called her out specifically. In truth, it had annoyed her that so much seemed to be kept hush hush at this school. She had invested a great deal of effort and time attempting to collect the strands of loose strings together into a bundle, but it seemed a futile effort. There was just so much that had happened and so many different stories that a collective effort would be required to track it all down and organize the information into any sort of cohesive story. In a way, this meeting had been entirely selfish. Now that she had that shiny little 'P' on her chest, she had a certain elevation of power that would allow her to stay out past curfew, question others, and expand her investigations. She knew she wasn't the only one doing so, however. This could be a way to effectively tap a source of concentrated information.

As Vanes explained the purpose of the meeting, she only smiled. Sure, the sharing of information had been her idea… but the rest had been his. She left the floor to him to expand on his desire to use that knowledge to help protect 'the students'. And as he did, she allowed her gaze to wander the faces of the others to gauge their immediate reactions. Most seemed amiable to the notion. Only a few, such as Dewlight and Lestrange, seemed to hold their reservations and show no immediate sign to participate. Curious.

It seemed this was all the prompt that was needed, though, to get the others to begin recounting various events. Dralt brought up an interesting reframing of Vanes' question, asking how they—as prefects who were also students—would like to be helped. In truth, Evelynn wasn’t sure how to answer that question. How would she want to be helped? To start, transparency of information would be a good start. The assembly and announcements delivered at the end of the last year by staff about the Headmaster's disappearance still rang clear within her mind. Complete bollocks. And the loss of staff member after staff member, usually after that staff had been used as a confidante, begged the question of just how far the corruption had spread. She found it was difficult to trust the adults. She had trouble trusting her peers as well. She wasn't exactly sure how to answer his question, but information was a good start.

And speaking of information…Shymane started it off with a hefty dose of it. Much of which was new to Evelynn. The spiders were common knowledge, but she'd heard nothing about scars or a need for weekly doses of medicine. A peculiar gaze fell upon the dhampir as she spoke, grey eyes shifting to the spot on Shymane's neck where it was indicated she'd been bitten. She didn't miss the look given to Riddle or Lestrange. There was little room to question, though, as she moved quickly onto other information. The fight was known. The details of adult presence, not. Nor had there been previous talk about the trip to the bookstore. Dee and Prince, however… those names had cropped up before in connection with various events around the castle. Evelynn had been intending to speak to each of them. Evidently, she was far past due to make proper acquaintances with them. Mention of the T. Ruth articles drew an empathetic grimace, especially with the commentary of dhampir baiting. That was something that had been touched on at the great hall demonstration and had been news to Evelynn then. She still had a lot of mixed feelings about that and the article in light of that context.

Then it was Quinn's turn. Again, Evelynn listened attentively, quickly jotting down a few thoughts and cues from what Shymane had touched on to jog her mind later for more in-depth musings. And again, the spiel of information carried with it some that was news to her. In particular, she honed in on his brief mention of his 'disorder'. Was he really calling his giant blood a disorder? Wasn't that rather contradictory to the efforts and voiced ire about different treatment? She hadn't heard of anything bad happening over the summer. If Flash was aware, surely he would have told her. But the way he spoke, it was as though he had done something bad. Something that had hurt others. Dhampir were the only race she was aware of to have difficulties with controlling their blood-lust. Was this also the case with half-giants? He said it was unintentional. So, then, did the student body also need to worry about accidental and possibly very real injury from him and those like him as well?

And, like Shymane, he referenced the T. Ruth articles. Plural. Are there others that she wasn't aware of? Were there more than one T. Ruth with multiple articles circulating? That was something that she hadn't considered. The possibility of others taking up the mantle and either attempting to further the work of the original, or deliberating writing in a way to discredit them and start a reverse man-hunt. Something to ponder on later. Perhaps an apology might also be in order. She appreciated that Shymane had at least acknowledged the possibility. There had never been any intention of attacking the dhampir race as a whole. Only to bring to light an event that had been swept under the rug, a danger that had been hidden from the student body. It had taken the article in the first place to have that individual confess to his actions, and even then it had been anonymous. How was help and understanding supposed to be given if they hid from everyone, and even themselves? When all that the rest of the world would see was the damage—sometimes fatal—done during those slip-ups?

And how could anyone suggest that they didn't have a right to protect themselves? In self-defence martial classes, you weren't taught to empathize with the attacker. Not that empathy wasn't important. Assertion and acknowledgement in addition to defensive strategies like crossing a street or avoiding walking around alone or in secluded areas could help reduce the chance of attack in the first place. But in the moment, when you found yourself in the vulnerable position of being attacked, you are taught the quickest, low-effort-high-damage actions, and told which vulnerable areas to target in order to escape and survive. The article had been no different. And the fact remained that yes, while there could have been actions taken by staff and students to held reduce the prevalence of attack, there were still attacks. And such as the case where Lazar had lost control in the midst of a SWAG game, they weren't necessarily warranted or predictable.

Until now, Evelynn had been under the impression that the dhampir article would be a one-off. Just something to raise awareness and get people talking. Apparently, the article was more justifiable than perhaps was previously thought. Dhampir weren't the only dangerous race in the school, and if attacks could come from others, it would be prudent to know how to defend oneself. It just needed tweaking to hold less journalistic sensationalism.

From there, Inda Wyllt spoke up. Evelynn had heard of an escapade into the woods, but details of a gingerbread man were new. Hadn't there been a doll? And a flaming acromantula… What even was an acromantula? It sounded like tarantula. And Caradoc and Alaric? Those names were unfamiliar to her. Upper year students, perhaps, given their apparent heroic intervention. Evelynn was in the midst of trying to work out some connections between the various events raised when the door burst in, trampling all over her thoughts and yielding her to jump slightly in her seat. She wheeled her attention around in search of the source and found it to be none other than the wall-o-phile himself.

"Good of you to join us, Warren," came the reserved greeting, laced only slightly with dry ire. Even if someone missed the ironic tone, they'd probably be able to see by the crimp of her lips that she was likely at least slightly perturbed. Really, though. In her mind, if someone was going to be late in arriving, the least they could do would be to have the decency to try to incorporate themselves with as little interference as possible. "We're talking about the goings on about the school, yes. Since you missed the start—" She motioned to invite him to take a seat. "—given everything that has been happening around Hogwarts, Vanes and I thought it might be a good idea to come together to address it. I know at least a few of those present have had a vested interest in trying to find answers, but it's fairly clear that there is still a separation of information. Especially as many strange happenings seem to target Houses individually.

In the summer, it was mostly Slytherin students who received the invitation to the fight. Mostly Ravenclaw that were lured into the forest by Athanatos. There were the spiders in the Slytherin dorm. The fire and this 'living darkness' in Hufflepuff. Among others. Interestingly, Gryffindor seems to be the least impacted. Last year, we found out that our tapestries were enchanted by the Headmaster with a cryptic message, and learned some information about the alleged murder of Mrs. Umbridge, Mister Potter's trial, and the break-in of the Headmaster's office. It wasn't until January returning from the holidays that our car was accosted by a group of men claiming to be from SCAR that we suffered injury. There are also the various events and news reported in the Daily Prophet. Among other things. There are connections, however. Commonalities. The trio of witnesses—Athanatos, Davenport, and Moore—centred among them. But there are others. Last year, the professors mentioned hags in the forest. There are two covens, and they are—or were—recruiting. And there are other students aside from those three who have been targeted. Not to mention a mask and a glove on the loose with the power to control someone in similar fashion to the Imperius Curse.

Needless-to-say, there are quite a number of issues on the table. It would be difficult to know exactly where to start, but I do think it's important to place our cards down and show transparency and choose to trust each other. If we don't, then we have already lost and can't hope to get on top of anything at all. I have been hesitant to come forward with what I know. I'll admit, I'm a bit afraid of becoming some sort of target, but I am prepared to share everything with those who are like-minded. And from there, we can make a plan to keep our own Houses informed and vigilant, developing trust bonds, and encouraging everyone to come forward with anything they might have seen or heard.

"Now… Healy made mention of the common room fire, yes, although made no mention of living darkness.." She glanced back to the half-giant. "Was there a living darkness there as well? I've heard of something that could be described like that. A black substance kept in a jar that was capable of escaping and somehow turned an owl into this sort of shadowy creature that attacked its family."