Malachi shot the Fourth Year a silent but cautionary glance when he proceeded to strike up conversation with his desk mates despite the lesson now beginning. He trusted the look would be enough of a "settle down, this isn't the time for idle chatter" but he'd become verbal if he needed to.

Still, the man was glad he was feeling better. No need to have any repeats of the previous night.

"I suppose depending on what or who's chasing you, that could be a viable option. You'd have to be certain whatever's chasing you doesn't have a keen sense of smell, however. If it did, I wouldn't count on it running past you and giving you the opportunity for a run around."



Let it be known, he didn't trust the innocent denial for even a second. Gryffindors had a knack for agreeing then running off to do exactly what you asked them not to do just seconds later. It was a special talent of theirs. He would know, he'd had his own days running around in the scarlet and gold.

Malachi blinked at her response--not the part about running because that seemed perfectly in line, but the other part. "I don't suppose if it was someone...nice or a creature that meant no harm, it would be chasing you to begin with. Especially not a person that could effectively communicate that they'd like to have words with you without exerting much energy."

So please, do run if you weren't going to do anything else. "Running can prove useful." As she'd said.



"I bet you are." He readily agreed to precious bean #3's statement. He could see her trying out the whole big sister role and making at least attempts at the good role model gig. It was all that enthusiasm.

"Yes, you could. Blending in with your surroundings, in this case a crowd, could provide you with enough of an opportunity to slip away. Crowds are particularly hard to move through, especially when you're bigger. Only thing would be if whatever was chasing you was what we like to call a "crowd splitter". By that I mean, something so large or so terrifying that everyone immediately moves out of the way, thereby reducing that crowd cover you were depending on."

People tended to jump out of the way when something terrifying was approaching.



Trent nodded after she put the sketchpad away. This was Defense Against the Dark Arts class. Not regular Art class. There would be plenty of time for that once she left the room but very limited time while they were all here. He intended to see it put to good use.

"Yes. Running is perhaps the most straightforward way of avoiding your pursuer--provided you're the faster. Otherwise, I wouldn't recommended it." Not when there were more reliable means of staying safe in the face of danger.



"Very good point." And he was glad someone brought it up. "Running and hiding are good and fine but we are witches and wizards. We have magic at our disposal. When used correctly, it can be infinitely more useful than running." Sometimes, in tough situations, it was easy to forget that. When fight or flight kicked in, not everyone's first instinct was to pull their wands out.

"Stunning your pursuer can make all the difference in your get away."



"That's an interesting way of going about it." Malachi admitted. Again, he was...intrigued by the fact no one have mentioned what he'd had in mind but this was actually another solution of the magical sort that could prove beneficial depending on its execution.

"I imagine you mean an illusion charm of sorts, something to change your appearance or the environment around you just enough to deceive whoever or whatever wants to get their hands on you." It could work.



....Right.

Of course.

He supposed he'd expected that response. It would take some time for any of them to really be anything resembling "alright". Rather than pursue that any further, the Headmaster simply nodded at her latter response. "The knockback jinx could give you some additional time to put some distance between you and whoever, yes. Good." He wouldn't pry.



"That would certainly put a quick and definitive end to things, yes." A practical answer from a practical boy. Malachi couldn't even pretend to be surprised that this was the answer Toussaint had come up with. It was decidedly rather fitting.



Consider him pleasantly surprised that Dakest's answer didn't end at the hiding part. It wasn't that he didn't think the boy had potential, but rather that he knew how he preferred to keep safe. No need to stand and cast when you could make a speedy get away otherwise unscathed.

"You could. Again, it would depend on what's chasing you and their special abilities. A dark wizard who suspects as much may cast a revealing charm while another may continue hopelessly looking. A creature with a superior sense of smell would be able to tell that you haven't really gone anywhere at all. It's important to always weigh the situation."

Know when what tactics would prove most useful. That sort of thing.



That was better. Malachi nodded his return greeting to the young Slytherin, not dwelling on it for too long. Mistakes happened and Tamesis wasn't one of the problem children by any means.

"Excellent. Yes." This drifted close to what he himself had in mind for this lesson. "Preventing--stopping as it were--your pursuers is one of the most successful ways to end a pursuit." But that went without saying. If they stopped then they were no longer a threat to you. "Good one."



"There's a muggle joke that goes along those lines." It came to his mind the moment she mentioned being faster than whatever may have been chasing her. Did Sinclair know the joke? It was quite a good chuckle if she didn't. Perhaps he'd tell it to her later. For now, it was defense class.

"Stunning would prove effective, yes. It would certainly make the get away easier."



Throwing things was another he hadn't been expecting.

"I...suppose....yes. If it was heavy enough to harm or otherwise hinder them." It would have to be something of a notable size to be sure. Which led him to believe she'd have to use magic to hurl it, but if she was willing to use magic to do that, she could've used it to do something a bit more reliable.

Something to think about.



...

.....

........

"...Promise me you'll use proper stealth and disguise if you ever decide that's the way you want to evade your pursuers." Just...please.



That sounded like quite a convoluted way of evading someone or something but the man imagined she was going on the basis of someone tremendously difficult to avoid. "Tripping or otherwise stunning may be all you need depending on what's chasing you, followed up by the broom for a speedy escape or apparition as Toussaint mentioned, should you be of age." Adding quick stops and sharp turns then became less of a necessity...so long as the stuns were done right.



"Good." He would be there. They could figure things out together and find a way to make it work. If they were quick enough, the boy wouldn't even have to be held back. How had it been missed before??

Wait what?

Malachi was still semi spiralling over the boy's future when he heard him say something about...climbing. "That we'll need to have a word about as well." He'd heard things, things he wasn't willing to believe and honestly had half wished he'd never known just so he could get away with plausible deniability. Remedial lessons with Chosen made it hard for the man to plead plausible deniability with a LOT of things.

The kid was getting better at it but, on an off day, forget it.



"That's a good strategy, yes." Distract then remove yourself from the situation. It was a sound way to avoid someone that wanted to get their hands on you...or something with big teeth. You never really knew when it came to the magical world.



This one gave him pause and caused his brows to furry slightly. "Well....yes you could....but what would you do while you waited for your phoenix to get there? Depending on distance and other factors, you'd still very much be at the mercy of whatever was chasing you." And if the phoenix took too long there was no guarantee of a happy ending.

Not something he wanted to think about. He'd lost enough students to last him a lifetime, thanks.



"What you're describing closely resembles what some of your classmates have mentioned. Illusion charms or disillusionment charms are both good ways to blend in with the surroundings or at the very least make it difficult for you to be spotted...depending on the sense most heavily relied upon as you've mentioned." If properly executed, it was very much a plausible solution.