He silently shook his head once more. "I wish I could say that."

Claudian gave Marco a knowing smile.

'Up the close and down the stair,
In the house with Burke and Hare.
Burke’s the butcher, Hare’s the thief,
Knox, the boy who buys the beef.'
Oh, that Marco Denvuh!


Claudian tried to look busy as Erikson re-entered the room, afraid to be caught doing...any sort of socializing at all. He turned to Camira and whispered. "The Professor is back. You can ask him for a spare plant if you'd still like to do the project. But it is due tomorrow, so you'll have to just do what you can. Maybe he'll let you include some entries on research." He'd seen Camira speaking with Erikson as the opening of the term feast and it seemed they were on good terms. Perhaps, he'd be forgiving in light of what she'd gone through...or what he'd gone through. Claudian looked up and got a good glance at Erikson...or something that looked like him. He wasn't quite an inferi, but he had the look of Les Zombies. Not the kind that you find in horror films, rather the sort that existed in the boy's particular brand of faith. A person who'd lost their life, but not their pulse. A real zombie.

Claudian watched and listened in on what Erikson and Marco were goin on about. This sounded bad. A look of fear and concern washing out his brown face.

Marco's head dropped. She was gone. He didn't know what to say. He couldn't say anything even if he wanted to. A small tear splashed to the floor. "I...I am sorry Professor," he choked out.

"Thank you," he said quietly. "You should return to your work. I can inform you when... proceedings are."

Claudian placed a large hand on Marco's back and gave his shoulder a firm, but gentle squeeze. He felt like he lost some air. He was a screw up at every subject but Divination and he probably wouldn't have been very good at that either if it weren't for Natasha Blaylock. Her loss to the world of magical academia was only the half of it, or a fraction, truly, as she was also a beloved wife and mother to a son, also unfortunately no longer on this mortal coil. His eyes grew shiny with moisture.

"Professor, I'm so sorry." He could not say more than that, though it did not feel like enough.

"Thank you Sir," Marco said, his head still dropped. He returned back to his plant. He looked at it. He poked the soil meagrely, a tear dropping again.

He nodded to the both of them, but otherwise stayed silent. He just needed to see this lab through. That was it. He could push himself that far. But he had to remain as he was.

Cassandra saw Marco speaking Erikson. Erikson seemed to be... not himself. She watched the two, as she tested the soil of her plant with her finger.

Xana smiled, relaxing. See? You trust him, and he doesn't let you down. It was nothing. "No big deal... really." She looked at Claudian lovingly, trust and understanding for him evident in her eyes.

Xana noticed Erikson walk in, his eyes red. She listened as he spoke to Marco, and went over to him... No. It couldn't be... Professor Blaylock? She shook her head. "No... Oh, Professor. I am so sorry-- " She wanted to ask what happened, but the words died as a lump formed in her throat and her eyes filled with tears. She reached out to give him a hug.

Armand reached to Xana as he saw her coming to him and pulled her into a hug. Quietly he whispered as he pushed her away afterward, "later. I wish to keep my composure until the end of the lab. I hope you understand."

She hugged him tightly, though briefly, and nodded as he whispered. "I do." she whispered as she stepped back, bowing her head in respect.

Marco looked at his cactus. It was pathetic. He poked the cactus. It fell over and the soil spilled everywhere. Oh well.

Cassandra tilted her head as she watched Xana hug Erikson... odd... she thought she hated him... She walked over to the professor and stands beside them.

Claudian put and arm around Xana to offer her some comfort. "I ought be going." He said in a mellow tone. He was done in any case, with his plant for the day. He moved back over to Marco and put his hand, again on his shoulder. "Take care, mate. I'll see you at the house table." He closed up his journal and gathered his belongings, heading out.

Armand sighed. "Marco, don't take it out on the plant." Oh yes, tell that to the Sapphire Rose. Shut up! He grit his teeth at the mental intrusion. He seemed to be talking to himself more often these days. He made his way over and carefully re-soiled the poor cactus.

Marco looked up at the Professor. "The cactus doesn't care. It is a cactus." He blinked slowly, his face solemn. "It doesn't care that it hurts people. It doesn't care that it has no existence, except only to reproduce. Is that all we are? Things to reproduce, nothing more."

She hugged him back and nodded, understanding. "I'll see you at the House table later, love. " She returned to pack up her plant and supplies too; Erikson did not need them unnecessarily prolonging this lab, he was in pain. She packed her belongings up and headed for the door, trying to make eye contact with the Professor. /I'll see you later, if you need to talk. And again... I'm so sorry. / she thought at him, hoping he would hear her.

"Enough!" Erikson snapped at him. Do it, you know you want to-- And you too! "At least you'll get to see your... 'reproduction.'" Ugh, what was he saying? He turned away with the cactus, taking it over to a bench. He schooled his mind once more. He needed to keep it blank. Empty. He couldn't let anyone else get to him. He caught Xana's look as she left and nodded to her.

Wishing she could offer him better comfort, she gave him a mournful half-smile of support and nodded back, departing the herbology lab as quickly as she could. Professor Blaylock.... No. As soon as she left the room, she began to cry silently, mourning the professor who had taught her so much, and who had been a source of support and kindness. She had known her only a short time, but remembered so many wonderful things about her, from her funny teapot to her quirky sense of humor, to her enormous heart and exceptional kindness... The woman she would have chosen as her mother... gone. It seemed impossible.

Kayla had been listening to the conversation between Erikson and the Slytherin students and she felt extremely bad for him. She watched him as he tried to keep it together and knew that he was on the verge of losing control. Kayla knew that - that's what she was going to be like if her father died and she didn't want to go through it. Kayla stood up from her chair and realised she now had a solution to her problem, she would carry out what her grandmother has asked of her...to save her father's life and she would face the consquences later.

As she passed Erikson, Kayla put a hand on his arm and said softly. "I'm so sorry, my thoughts and prayers are with you" before walking out of the lab.

Erikson nodded to Kayla as she left, speaking quietly. "Thank you." With a sigh he walked around the classroom, looking over his plants which had only been tended by students while he was away. Once he was satisfied he made his way to the door. "Alright, I'm closing up. Please have your journals in before the due date. Thank you."

"Well if you hadn't gone away and almost died, maybe they would still be alive," Marco spat back. This wasn't going well. He hadn't felt so angry, yet so depressed in all his life. And Erikson was the first one to be there. Which probably now meant death for Marco.

It was certainly a bad move on Marco's part. Armand moved with obvious combat experience, grabbing Marco by the arm and swinging him around into the corner of one of the shelves. "You have no idea what you're talking about, Marco," he growled. "You don't know what's going on in my life, you don't know what's going on in the world outside of Hogwarts. Now why don't you go take your ignorant butt back to your wife and child and enjoy your perfect little life while I can still manage to keep it that way."

Amelia had been listening to the conversation going on around her as she finished up her last journal entry. She couldn't help but feel tears welling up in her eyes as she heard about getting to see his reproduction. Blaylock's unborn kid? Gone? Why did the world have to be so unfair!? Honestly.

Before even realizing what she was doing, the sixth year shut her journal and hastily picked her bag up off the ground. Slamming it down on the Professor's desk, she ran out of the lab room, trying her hardest not to cry... at least not until she was someplace more private.

"Professor!" She called watching him stunned. She gave him a look that read don't make me go get the headmistress...