Candy Justifies the Means PV Prof Lécuyer Closed

The cruel icy grip of night was beckoning Orion as he walked silently down the castle's corridors. Despite the fact that he was not a student, he should have retired to his office or room at this point, but the usual terror that sleep provided him was looking rather unappealing that evening, so he opted to take a stroll.

If there was one thing that always managed to cheer the French man up, it was baked goods, but in a close second to that was his ability to annoy his good friend, Hal, who seemed to have a permanent stick stuck up his ass. It was for this reason that Rion had decided to take a different route that night, and head up the spiraling staircase that led to Halford's office and classroom.

A devious chuckle escaped his lips as his leather shoes slapped against the stonework. It was hard to scare a Seer, but if he timed it just right, there was a chance that he could make the English man jump and sprout some sort of nonsense at him. In truth, Orion sometimes had no idea what he was even saying thanks to that thick accent, and this was coming from someone whose first language was not even English.

A brow raised as he approached the door that led to the Divination's classroom. There stood a girl with long brown hair, staring ahead at the wood as if it held the meaning of life itself. Rion did recognize her from his classes, Prince was her surname, and she was a prefect, which explained why she was so far away from the Ravenclaw common room. Regardless of her status, Orion took the opportunity to scare the youth a bit by clearing his throat rather loudly.

"Miss Prince, I was not aware that your rounds included this section of the school. You're not thinking about trying to break into Professor Booth's classroom, are you?" Because if she were... Yes, he would definitely be the one to help her do it.

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Upon closer inspection, Dee still didn't have a clue how she should open the door. It was locked, she didn't have a key, her options were severely limited. Hence, despite her doubts about its effectiveness, there didn't seem to be any harm in at least attempting a simple Alohomora.

She had just pulled out her wand, attention fully focused on the only thing standing between her and her candy, and didn't notice anyone approaching until that someone cleared his throat, pointedly. As if the circumstances weren't already incriminating enough, Dee jumped guiltily, spinning around to face the new arrival. It only took a second to recognise the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, and Dee winced slightly. She would have preferred another prefect, or perhaps even a professor that she knew a little better. Still, likely better him than Booth.

"Professor Lécuyer! I'm..." The question about her purpose had her flushing, and she took a quick glance back at the door, then fully turned to face him, finally letting her wand sink. Dee wasn't a good liar anyway, and there really was no point in denying it, was there? "Well... yes, I am," she admitted rather bluntly. Might as well face it, excuses wouldn't help. Then, realising she had just confessed to an attempted crime without even offering any explanation, she hastened to add, "But! Not with bad intentions, I promise. I wasn't going to steal anything, or make a mess, or even touch anything, that wasn't the plan. I have a reason, I just..." She paused and bit her lip, looking up at the professor from wide, blue eyes, her expression innocent and honest, almost pleading. "I really need the caramels I forgot in there."

She sighed, deflating a little. There was really no chance she would be getting her much-needed sugar now, was there? Perhaps it would have been better if Professor Booth had been here after all, maybe he would have given her the candy just to be rid of her and her incessant talking. Except... Suddenly straightening up, Dee eyed Professor Lécuyer, her expression calculating, deliberation clear in her eyes. She couldn't really read him yet, but it wasn't like she could make the situation much worse for herself, and Dee had always been the direct type. It usually worked out in her favour. "Is there something you could do, maybe?" she asked, a conspiratorial smile suddenly brightening her face. "I could give you half of the sticky caramels in return, if you want."

@Orion Lécuyer

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He tried to maintain his stern look, but Orion's expression couldn't help but crack as the Ravenclaw struggled to find an excuse for her late night adventure. His lips curved into a playful grin as he quirked a brow at the brunette when she admitted she had been attempting to break into Hal's classroom. Perhaps he should have scolded the girl, but considering who the classroom belonged to, he found it amusing instead. "Is that so?" Dee Prince did not seem like the type of girl who would break the rules for absolutely no reason, so Orion did believe her when she had claimed that it was important.

Caramels? Huh... She needed to get candy? "Say no more." He raised a hand up to halt the girl from talking. "I have done much worse to get my sugar fix. Well, mostly I steal whatever Mardi has, but you get the point." If there was any professor who would understand the need for sweets, it was Orion. "However, it is against the rules to break and enter into classrooms, as a prefect I'm sure I don't need to tell you this." As harmless as he believe Dee's intentions were, he couldn't allow her to break the rules, at least not in front of him. He was about to joke that he could just turn his back and allow her to continue, when the Ravenclaw made him an... Interesting offer.

"Miss Prince, are you trying to bribe me?" He asked her, his brows raised in surprise. He hadn't taken her for the type to pull something like this. Had it been another student, one more so known for their mischievous behaviour, he would have sent them right to bed, but Dee's offer... It amused him, and if he could get away with not only a handful of caramels, but also a new way to annoy Hal... Well, he would happy do it.

"Oh dear, it seems that you've twisted my arm." She had not even made a counter offer and the man was acting as if they had spent half an hour going back and forth. "I don't know about you, but I think I heard something inside the classroom just now... It could be a dangerous magical animal, it is best for us to investigate, wouldn't you say?" His blue eyes almost sparked with mischief as he withdrew his elder wood wand from the pocket of his suit jacket.

He aimed the stick towards the door. "Alohomora." As he stepped forward to grip the doorknob, he found it unwilling to budge. Of course Hal had cast an anti-Alohomora charm, he would expect nothing less of him.

"Don't worry." He assured his student, "I have a plan B." He took a step back, straightening his shoulders before raising a hand... and beginning to pound it against the door, the sound loud and sounding rather desperate. "HALFORD! OPEN UP, HAL! IT'S AN EMERGENCY!" Anyone walking by the pair might have thought there really was some sort of emergency from the way Orion was yelling.

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Once again, inexplicably, brazen honesty seemed to be the way to get out of trouble scot-free. It really worked more often than it should. Dee blinked, a little surprised, when Professor Lécuyer forestalled any further explanations she might have had, declaring instead that he had done worse in the name of candy. Much worse, apparently. Needless to say, Dee was somewhat intrigued. She might have to quiz him about this later. Also, who was this Mardi person? Did he have inexhaustible stashes of candy? The mystery grew.

The reminder that, yes, breaking into a professor's office (or any other place, really) was usually frowned upon (if not to say clearly forbidden), evoked a small grin, more sheepish than contrite. She didn't feel particularly guilty, her biggest regret was getting caught before achieving her goal. After all, she really was only here for her caramels, no further nefarious intentions. And weren't intentions what mattered, in the end? "Yes, I'm aware," she replied, cocking her head to one side. It was obvious enough. This really wasn't turning into the lecture she would have expected, but hey, she certainly wouldn't complain.

Her obvious attempt at bribery was immediately called out as such, and Dee blinked up at him, trying and failing to look innocent. "Well, I would perhaps instead call it payment for a certain service, but..." He wasn't listening anyway. Apparently the promise of candy was all it took for Professor Lécuyer to throw his reminders of the rules out the window and fully turn rogue with her, with theatrics and enthusiasm to boot. Something to keep in mind if she wanted to ask a favour at some point, Dee thought. Honestly, considering this conversation, it seemed that perhaps Professor Lécuyer and her would get along rather well.

Taking only a second to catch onto the absolutely reasonable and not at all random excuse the wizard came up with to justify their criminal ambitions, Dee gave him a full, toothy grin, and then nodded decisively. "Absolutely, it's our responsibility to check. Who knows what damage it could do in there. It would be negligent of us to not make sure that everything is in order." She was quite sure that if she had tried to use that excuse, it would have landed her in detention, but she could well go along with his story.

Curiosity bright in her eyes, she watched as Professor Lécuyer raised his wand, taking a small step to the side to give him free access to the door. His choice of spell had her frowning in disappointment, however. Alohomora, yes, she could have done that herself. No fancy impressive grown-up magic in sight.

Perking up slightly when he promised a plan B, Dee watched closely, only to burst out in surprised laughter when he started banging on the door, completely startled out of any semblance of composure. This was... not what she'd expected. For the first time, she realised that yes, professors probably knew each other personally. She hadn't even considered the possibility that Professor Lécuyer and Professor Booth might be something like friends.

Clapping her hand in front of her mouth as to not expose their brilliant ruse, Dee tried to stifle her laughter. "You could have warned me," she complained, not too quietly, but honestly, if anyone came running, it would not be because of her volume. "Also, if Professor Booth is mad, I will hide behind you, just so you know."

@Orion Lécuyer | @Halford Booth

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Interacting With
@Orion Lécuyer & @Dealla Prince

In the grand scheme of things, possessing an inexplicable Sight of events yet to come could well be counted as a gift. Testifying to that point of view were ample numbers of individuals who would gladly kill to obtain such an ability; and yet, such individuals were naught but naïve fools, with none of the understanding that Halford had achieved through a lifetime spent with his third eye.
A curse looks just as pretty as a present if you put a big enough bow on it, but only those who rip through the wrapping paper can uncover the terrors underneath. And oh, Hal had torn away another large piece tonight.
Like a distraught child discovering a lump of coal in their stocking on Christmas morning, he had experienced a very powerful desire to throw his gift in the trash when he spotted Orion under the tree... metaphorically speaking.

Heavy footfalls thumped silently through the corridor, any sound deadened by the supple soles of the slippers adorning the space below the professor's ankles. Protected by a layer of white fluff, the slippers beautifully accented the hot pink socks that stretched upward, clinging tightly to his toned calves, like a waterlogged cat to a faucet in desperation to extricate itself from its bath.
Only the hairy skin of his knees remained visible between the socks and the underside of his baggy basketball shorts, all of it topped by a heavy sweater, which deprived his arms of air.
Perhaps the outfit did little to amplify his outward beauty - or even his inward stability - but what did that matter to a man who was entirely self-assured of both? Who was he trying to impress? Orion? He'd sooner do the tango with a giant crab than go out of his way to satisfy the fashionable fantasies of a flamboyant Frenchman.
Besides, his vision hadn't exactly been forthcoming about the specific time it would transpire. All he understood from the conversation between Orion and the young student was that it would take place after curfew.
Considering it had been after curfew when he'd seen the unexpected snippet of the future, there was no telling how long he had to reach his classroom before they did. Hence the swift pace at which his fuzzy feet currently traveled.

Torches flashed, unnoticed, through his peripheral vision, falling to the wayside of the figurative tunnel he was staring down. Assorted curses filtered quietly through his lips, the vast majority painting Professor Lécuyer in a less flattering light than most generally saw him in.
Of all the ridiculous things the Sight had shown him - children wailing after skinning a knee, men utterly flopping pickup lines - this one topped them all. Why, he wanted to know, would his 'esteemed colleague' stoop to such a low?

Because Orion. Simple enough answer. Of course, why wouldn't he do something like this? If only to add uncharted levels to Hal's understanding of the word 'headache.'
Perfectly content - his understanding of the word 'content' much less expansive - in his nighttime outfit, the man had been on his way out of the castle in an effort to return home. Most of his nights were spent in his office, pouring over notes, utilizing various methods of divination, and anything else one would imagine an eccentric professor doing - anything but sleeping. But tonight was going to be another story; he would go home, reunite with his long-lost bed, and allow all concerns to drift into the blissful abyss, if only for a few hours.
A pleasant thought, but the Sight never had been one for niceties in his experience.

Padded steps rounded another corner to be met by a familiar pounding sound, accompanied by the panicked bellows of a man mid-drama-film.
Approaching the boisterous pair of professor and student from behind, any sound he made drowned out by the racket, Halford removed his wand from the sleeve of his sweater. Aiming its tip at the back of Orion's head, he executed a swirling motion and muttered the incantation, "Mimblewimble."

Following success or failure, the man would tuck his wand back inside its designated sleeve and speak once more, tone amplified to occupy the expected silence in the wake of his incantation. "I wouldn' worry. Seems I've determined't source o't emergency." Trademarked boredom permeated the words, augmented by the fold of two arms against his chest and a tired lean into the stone wall. "Tha' yapper o' yours allus did leave me a bi' uneasy."
A sharp eye might notice the slight tint of grey in his hair - which would never be seen in any normal situation - or the weary droop of his features that invariably seemed to follow any vision, no matter how small.
Tired eyes now turned on Orion's partner in crime, analyzing her face for the first time. Few young faces at the school held a place in his memories, but those who attended his class enjoyed higher odds of being part of that minute number. For this girl's part, recognition would flash across the man's expression.
"Miss Prince, aye?" Despite the exhaustion in his features, his tone was penetrating, almost as though he knew a dirty secret in her past. "Eager teh catch a glimpse o' me next lesson? I assure yer, ye'll 'ear no mention o' candy there." His chestnut gaze flickered momentarily back to Orion. "O' course Professor Sweet Tooth was jus' tellin' yer the same thing."