Tobi felt something catch his collar and tug. He fell back a few steps but regained his footing quickly. He looked over his shoulder. Paris was hiding behind a suit of armour. Tobi wouldn't do that if his life depended on it. not after the last one he miffed by throwing his book bag at it.

"What are you doing back there?" he demanded. "Get out here, Paris, we have a problem."

Tobi flapped arms futilly for a moment trying to get Cale's attention back.

"Cale, would you STOP worrying about your stupid... THINGY!" He hissed, "Professor Vindictus is in trouble!!" He grabbed his diminutive best friend by the shoulders and whirled him around to face his floating head of house, jerking Cale's chin up to see Max's limp body floating high in the air.




"Val!" Tobi was so happy to see her he would have hugged her, but he kept his show of emotion to merely the most jubilant hushed voice he'd ever used.

"Cale's being concerned for his gnometruckle, Paris is... I don't know what she is doing, and I'm tring to alert everyone to the fact that your and Cale's head of house is currently in some great peril! Could you help me?" Without any effort, he made a desperate face and hoped she'd have some pity.

Valentine looked around with wide eyes at everything that was happening. What was happening? She was wholy confused. How she hated coming into situations halfway through. She looked over at the girl begging her to take away her dear friends. "What's going on?" She asked in a whispered voice.

Valentine turned her head as Tobi jerked Cale's head back. She went to go see what exactly the boy was pointing out to her friend. Alway ending up in the middle of situation! "What... what's going on?" She repeated looking at the three other students.

"We are taking care of Maximus once and for all." Kazimeriz said, smirking a little as he continued to walk. His long robes billowed behind him as he hurried down the corridor toward the moving staircase. "Do not ask foolish questions. Now hurry. I do not want interference."

"This is not your concern; mind your own business. Addams, draw your wand. I want you to hex anyone who tries to stop our progress." Kazimeriz told Addams in a serious tone.

She looked at Tobi as she held onto him. "Do be quiet." She told him. The boy could wake the dead. "I'm following him." She said jerking her head in McKrazy's direction. "Something ain't right around here." She told both of them. She climbed down and stood between them glaring at Cale for pushing her.

She looked at the girl she didn't know. "I'm just minding my own business." She said trying to keep on eye on Professor Kazimeriz as he and Professor Lupa were getting further and further away from her.

"Shh, it's getting away!" He gave her another push as he lunged to the left after the gnomtruckle...
Only Tobi grabbed him just as he was about to dart out after the retreating gnomtruckle. "Ouch man!" he turned and swatted at Tobi. "Let-go! It's getting away!" He lunged forward again only to have Tobi yank him back a second time. "Tobi - that's our ticket to landing our names in the history book and it's getting away!"
"Vale! Talk some sense into your friend -"

It seemed there was some contention between the smell boy-men that was chasing the gnomtruckle. "Weee heee!" it cackled making a sound like a breaking branch as it scrambled away towards the older, more wrinkly and oaky looking man.

Seymour's eyes grew huge as Kazimeriz explained what they were doing. "O-once and for all?" Oh, Merlin. That didn't sound good. What had he been pulled into? Did that mean that Vindictus wasn't dead... yet? What would Will have done?! Was this really a knightly thing to assist with?

"Yes, sire." Gulp. He obediently drew his wand, holding it at the ready and keeping pace with Kazimeriz, filled with both excitement and dread.

Valentine looked over at the professors, and her fellow students and friends. This was just way to wierd. Part of her wanted to tell her and her friends to just go away and get into the common room. Perhaps she should have never left to common room. She backed up to the suit of armor where the other girl was hiding, and put her hands behind her back, where he wand was sticking out of her back pocket, ready to be grabbed if need be. She had a really bad feeling. Great Peril was something she never really like hearing.

"Cale!" she said in a harsh wisper, pulling him back by the neck of his robes. "Silencio shut up for a moment!" Another harsh wisper as she held onto Cale's robes. She pointed her wand at... the creature that had so much of Cale's interest. He was a Ravenclaw for heaven's sake. Why not use his wand. "Petrificus Totalus "

"You little filthy..." She growled as she took her wand, "Petrificus Totalus." She said pointing her wand at him. He wasn't going to keep pushing her. Didn't he have any manners.

In the far distance there was Professor Kazi with...that woman and a stiff looking Vindictus. Was he dead? Petrified? Unconscious? Either way, they were all being rather distracting especially that tiny looking group of students gathered even farther away down the corridor.

Plymouth's voice brought her back to the conundrum at hand leaving her no choice but to sigh in self-pity. "It's a cactus, dear" replied Daphne trying to choose her words carefully. She didn't want to say that indeed she had been meaning to experiment with a cactus for quite a while and that it was very nice and coincidental that he'd get her such a gift. Comments like those could lead him to believe even further in this soul-mate nonsense.

The last thing Daphne needed was another unwanted accidental boyfriend.

Blushing furiously, Daphne waved her hand rapidly, ignoring the way breathing suddenly seemed a bit troublesome. "No No No. No. NO. There shall be no kissing whatsoever, Plymouth Morgan. Were you listening to what I just said? I think you need to slow down a little," added Daphne after a pause, nodding to convince him and her about this. "Weigh your options. Clear your head. Get family therapy." All the while as she talked, she kept giving his hand outstretched hand suspicious glances.

To leave him hanging would be too cruel. It's not like she wanted to make him cry which was entirely possible considering his vulnerable state due to the betrayal of his beloved and who was supposed to be his brother. Hesitantly, Daphne reached out and patted Plymouth's hand twice in a peculiar hi-five times three. "And..."

Yes, there it was. That gleam of desperation in his eyes. He was seeking approval. Wincing, she clapped his hand with hers once more. "It's lovely."

"Start with the gnometruckle, Addams. Petrify it, if the other students fail." Kazimeriz shot the gnometruckle a withered, nasty look as he continued to walk. He was limping a bit more heavily than usual, as his hip was aching terribly from all the walking.

"Nothing of your concern. Go to your common room." he snarled at the nosy girl, continuing to limp down the corridor.

Seymour narrowed his eyes at Tobi, raising his wand. "Yes, I do know. I'll be following a professor's clear orders." He eyed the-- what did Kazimeriz call it? A gnometruckle?-- warily, trying to remember the wand movement for petrification. Bwaha. This didn't really feel right to him-- in fact, it felt completely wrong-- but why not enjoy it just a little bit while it lasted? After all, he absolutely had to follow the professor's orders.

EEEEEEEEK!

Putting her guard down because she felt pity towards Plymouth Morgan rewarded her with a captured hand, a kiss band-aid, and burning blush she couldn't seem to get rid off, no matter how many times she prickled herself with the cactus against her torso. "In my defense," retorted Daphne dryly, averting her eyes. "It could have been anything wrapped in paper." Alright, that was a lie but she couldn't just let him have the last word! Especially because her prickled finger now felt very over-heated.

Trying to tug her hand away from Plymouth's without seeming to rude, Daphne began to protest. "I-I don't know," she drawled, casting one last look at the drama down the corridor. Had someone just been hexed?! "I-You--should we go alert someone?" whispered Daphne, pressing against Plymouth's side suddenly.

She didn't want to be hexed! If they didn't hurry she could end up unconscious on the dirty floor!

Her new robes would be ruined. "And we need to talk. You know? You can't just ignore me, Plymouth Morgan," she hissed trying to blend with Plymouth's figure. Being a target for KraziKazi wasn't part of her life goals.

Valentine looked over at Tobi. What was he thinking? Telling her to stay all behind and hidden with the other who. What was he going to do? Run off and be all heroic. "What are you doing Tobi?" She asked him looking down at corridor, and then back to her friend.

She looked farther down the corridor glancing over their way, and then start to make their own way out of this corridor. Well, they have the right idea. Valentine thought looking back over to Tobias. When she looked back he was ducking around the corner.

"Tobias!" she hissed at him following behind. She wasn't going to be left behind.

Kazimeriz turned and faced Wright, his face a mask of fury. "To your common room, Wright. Before I start deducting points." In his distraction, he nearly dropped the body of Vindictus on its head-- he saw him start to fall and stopped the momentum with his wand in the nick of time. "Do you see what your antics could do? Now GO." That was all he needed, to have to deal with splattered brains on top of everything else. Of course, at least it would prove Ravenclaw jocks had brains... he smirked at the thought.

"No Vale - don't do th-" mumble mumble. Lips move nothing comes out as Cale's arms wave frantically in the air. That'll do to it! he screamed mentally at her.

The gnomtruckle stopped mid-stride to the old oaky man and turned around right after the spell hit him. Happily the spell had no effect on it. "Eeek!" came a noise sounding like the wind blowing through a knot in a very old tree on a windy night. It lunged at the girly. "MEWWWWWEEEEEE!!!!" It screamed waving its small twiggy arms around as it lunged at the girly.
Cale was probably, at this point, the only one still watching the gnomtruckle. The thingy did not look happy. Nope, not at allll. Cale was not sure what it was going to do, but it was probably not good, seeing as the thing could be part bowtruckle and everyone knew bowtruckles go for the eyes when upset.

He lunged for it as it turned and jumped at Valey. Of course Paris had to choose this moment to hit him with a binding spell. He stiffened like ropes had wound themselves around him like the vines in a devil's snare and fell to the floor with a thunk.
NO!!!!! Cale screamed silently seeing as he was still under the silencio spell. That's my ticket into the history books! Don't kill it!
Did Tobi just leave?! Cale tried to turn his head to see but he couldn't move! Curse you Valey! A pox upon you Paris! Cale deemed as he came to the conclusion that Tobi was a giant coward (which brought up the question of why he was in Gryfifndor in the first place). First he left him to Bunbury and now he was leaving him (and the gnomtruckle) to everyone else. Meanwhile the gnomtruckle was going mad from being hit with the spell and there was nothing Cale could do to it.

Alessia continued to follow obediently and quietly. She knew better than to question Papa Valon's methods... even in her current state.

She grinned when her spell found purchase and Cale fell with a nice little thud on the floor. "That serves you right shoving people. You're a prefect." She told him. She thought about lifting the spell so he could be on his way, but she doubt he would leave. He would just get up and start chasing that ugly little animal. Plus he needed to learn his lesson about shoving people. But she had just hexed a prefect, well he had shoved her twice, would she get into trouble for that? Hmm, she would take the punishment if she had to. No one was going to put their hands on her.

Now she had lost Professor Kazimeriz. "Now look what you've done! I've lost him!" She cried. She had just had to find out what was going on and Cale and one of his stupid crossbreeds had put a chink on her plans. She looked around and saw Professor Lupa's robes flapping around a corner and Paris ran after her to keep up with the weird parade down the corridor.

Why couldn't Kazimeriz just answer my question? Then I'd know what to tell him. That's what's wrong with professors. They think they know everything-this one particularly. "Professor Kazimeriz, may I please ask you one more question? I may be able to help explain what's wrong with Professor Vindictus." Provided there is something wrong with the Professor other than Professor Kazimeriz has used either a stupify or Petrificus Totalus Charm on him. "I promise I'll go to my common room and not bother you again." Well for the moment anyway. Can't guarantee I'll never bother him ever again. I can't help it. I get a kick out of bugging him.

Kazimeriz did not break his stride. "Oh, reaaally." This ought to be good. "You may ask one question. I quiver with anticipation, wondering what brilliant deduction your young Hufflepuff mind has concocted to explain his condition." Kazimeriz snarled sarcastically, waiting for the girl to ask her question.