Jude's chatter swam through Violet's mind, but it all faded away in the horror of watching Mack sitting on the professor's head, leaning down to eye the treats in his hand. And now Jude was talking about it, drawing attention to it all (though really, the professor would have to be unconscious not to notice a magpie leaning over his head). This was it--they were in for it for sure now. Violet would be expelled and Mack would be--what did they do to undisciplined pets at Hogwarts, anyway? She only hoped he could slip out of it and fly away with his usual craft--maybe he would go back to Miss Howard, like he did when the Neo-Alliance took over.

"Oh Professor, I'm...I'm so sorry, Mack shouldn't have done that, I do have permission for him to be here, but I was told he's supposed to stay in the animal sanctuary, and I put him there every semester, I swear, but sometimes he just doesn't stay there and he goes off looking for me, I think it's because of that year when the Alliance took away all the owls and Mack flew away and it's made him nervous about losing me ever since." Violet took a shaky breath; this speech was much more excited and rambling than her usual comments. Mack eyed her unperturbed from atop the professor's head. (She didn't mention the fact that Mack also left the Sanctuary to lurk about and look for shiny things to nick and carry off to hide in his latest lair--she figured the professor didn't really need to know all that right now.)