"Don't forget the deeeetailssss! Labeling is your friend!" Thorbert was pleasssssed with the efforts of the children, even if some of their sketches proved rudimentary. It was all about practice here!

The extremely tall man moved about the space, towering over the girl first, and then the boy. He took note of their work and sighed happily. These could be future cartographers and he was seeing them in their early years! It waaaarmed his heart!

"If you don't mind my assssking," Thorbert's hand waved airly about before resting on his hip, "What do you think are the benefits of mapping the castle?" One didn't map just to map! There was purpose and technique behind ever masterpiece he made and he was interessssted to see if the kids got that too!

Details, yes, those were important. Evie assumed she didn't have to draw brooms in the section that made the broom closet, but perhaps she should mark where windows were in the great hall and where the staff table was. She added those details quickly, just after the man walked by her after observing her map.

As she continued mapping, Evie looked up when he spoke again. She thought about the question before putting out a hesitant answer. "To find out its secrets?" It made sense to her, and it was actually something she wanted to know. "And it would help first years and transfer students," like herself, "to not get lost." That would be very helpful.

This was... really a lot trickier than it looked, wasn't it? Or perhaps it was just Toby, seeing as he always seemed to be going at about a hundred miles an hour that it was easy to miss the details and so having to deliberately look for them now was just... tricky. But manageable. But tricky.

The Hufflepuff squinted at his notebook and poked his tongue out the corner of his mouth in concentration and did his best to relay the details of the Entrance Hall on the page of his notepad. He was back to standing at the door looking into the Great Hall, roughly mapping the location of the tables before going into proper details, when the guy in charge spoke again, and Toby looked around.

Uhh. Well.

"It helps you know where to find things and not get lost, like Evie said," he said, while still pondering on it. "And, if things change, like in Hogwarts where things change and move and appear and disappear a lot, you can look back on the maps you made and compare it to see what's different. Unless the map is magic and changes with it. But I know muggles like to look back at maps of places how they were years and years ago and see what's different now and stuff." Toby looked back to his notebook and tried working on those details a little more. "And it's nice to be able to point out places without having to actually be there." Y'know, that visual representation could be very helpful.

There was no way that his map was accurate here. Not a chance, not on his first go. But it seemed to be more or less right and Toby was proud enough of what he'd done so far. Buuuuut, question.

"Does the castle being unplottable make the whole map-making thing trickier? Or does that affect finding out the general location, rather than the inside and the details?"

Thorbert liked their answers, he diiiiid. He clapped his hands happily at them. "Exaaaaclyyy!" These kids were cleverrr! Just the lot he wanted to work with. They made everything easier.

"Hogwarts likes surprising us, it seeeems. I like looking at changes too." He gave them a toothy grin.

Turning to the Hufflepuff boy, Thorbert simply beeeaamed at him. "Excellent question! That affects only the location, but," he siiiiiiiighed dreamily, "I love this castle!" He looked at the ceiling with a biiiiiig grin on his face. It was magic! Then, he returned to world and checked his watch.

"Are we feenished here? Are aaall the places drawn?"

The wintery weather had urged Benny back inside of the castle, no doubt the felines not anywhere too cold anyway. He doubted they liked the weather anymore than he did if he remembered anything about cats. Wandering along the ground floor, he came around into the entry hall. He debated his next move, up or down from where he was, only to see a cat curled up on the first landing of the Grand Staircase. Maybe he was getting better luck with this.

Taking a few steps up the stairs, Benny almost expected the cat to move from its spot. Or at least relax its closely kept form until he wasn't curled up. But didn't. It just remained there in a ball. That meant it was the message the feline meant to convey to him...right? He moved to the railing and opened the textbook to the correct page where his parchment was placed as bookmark. Reading the description, he remembered it from his classroom readings.

Calm before the storm.

SPOILER!!: Notes

Cat #2 : Cat is curled up and content. He or see is reminding me to be alert to what may come despite the calm of the now

The centaur had stopped to wrap the body in a cloth made out of resistant leaves because he didn't want to give anymore of the foal's life force (blood) on him and despite everything,he knew it wouldn't be easy for anyone to see the boy's mangled body.

In a rare moment the centaur made his way up to the castle and into the entrance hall holding the wrapped body.

He had half a mind to put it down there and turn back but instead he waited....

Sophia was in a some what animated discussion with Cece as they came up from the dungeons. She hated the fact that the snakes were still trailing the lions and needed some ideas on how to motivate the students to do better. The house cup was very important to her..

"So I think if we threaten to maim them they'll-----" Well that is certainly not something one saw everyday.

"How can we help you?" She asked the centaur. And what was that dripping from the thing he was carrying?

For several days now Healer Murdoch had not been happy about how the snakes were falling further and further behind in house points. She knew her snakes had worked hard to earn back all those lost points from the start of term, but now it was like they just didn't care anymore. Hopefully Cece and Sophia would be able to put their heads together and figure out a way to motivate the kids again.

"I don't know about maiming them. I was thinking more along the lines of..." Not finding a centaur standing in the entrance hall. "What is that you are holding centaur?" And why is it covered in leaves?

Kara was slowly making her way down the stairs, nose probably unsafely stuck in the new library book she had checked out. She couldn't help it though, Mundane Plants, and Their True Magic was just fascinating. Seriously, who didn't love reading about plants? It was pretty awesome to know the plants growing out in any ordinary person's yard could actually have magical properties. She had flipped to the section about wand woods when she heard hoofsteps on the marble floor? She looked up curiously. Since being on the farm, she hadn't heard that sound, and hearing it here was just odd... and so was seeing a Centaur. She paused on the steps and the transfiguration professor questioned it. This was strange, and staying back was a good idea.

The centaur looked between both women before kneeling slowly to put the body down. It was starting to really drain a lot of blood now, which was obvious when the body was quickly in a pool of blood.

"The foal was stupid and now he's dead. I'm returning his body that we risked the balance of the forest to save."

They had better appreciate that. The centaur then turned and galloped down the path towards the forest. They had business to finish with the spiders.

While the 5th year wasn't getting involved, she was definitely going to observe. It'ts not like she could do anything else now anyways. Growing up, she had learned to stay quiet, because being noticed usually ended badly. At least in her house anyways. But of all the things she had seen and heard, the Centaur's words shocked her, and the realizing the shape on the floor was neither, horse or centaur shaped, she let out an audible gasp. Eyes wide, she dropped her book as she covered her mouth with both hands. She never expected, not here. Not good.

Immediately Cece went into healer mode once she heard the centaur say someone was DEAD! This couldn't be right. The centaur was not a medical professional. There was no way he could be sure someone was DEAD!

Only he was right.

When Healer Murdoch lifted the makeshift blanket from the body, she felt a sudden sickness in her stomach. Not only was the person dead, but the body was mangled beyond recognition. What she did recognize though was what he was wearing.

Slytherin House Robes!

"Sophia. We need to get this body to the infirmary immediately." She placed the leaves back over the child then pulled out her wand. First thing she did was send an urgent patronus off to the Headmistress telling her to meet her and Sophia in the infirmary immediately, it was a matter of... DEATH! She then pointed her wand at the body, or what was left of it and placed an invisibility charm over it. No need in alarming the other students as she moved the body up the three flights of stairs to the hospital wing. "Sophia, can you please make that mess disappear," she asked as she levitated the body out of the pool of blood. Again, this was not something the students needed to stumble across and since Cece was using her wand to levitate the body, she couldn't very well clean up the blood too.

As she started to move towards the stairs she looked back at the professor. Words were not needed in this situation. She would know to follow along right?

She didn't come out of her shocked stupor, not until the healer's silvery patronus slipped past her. She bent down to pick up her book, and was contemplating trying to slip past the professor and healer, But she knew she couldn't do that. When things got tough, thats when she usually acted, unless Sam was involved. Quietly walking down the last few steps, Kara timidly spoke. “Is there anything I can do to help?” She could even clean up the blood, she'd had lots of practice at that, but oh man, that was a lot. Good thing the years she had lived had taught her to be strong, and not particularly squeamish.

Sophia's lips disappeared and was replaced by a thin line as the centaur spoke. Her eyes glued to the body...thing...that the centaur was holding....blood was...dripping. Immediately her hands sunk into her pocket to clutch her wand....nothing she could do but it was a natural instinctual thing when she felt uneasy.

She watched the look on the healer's face and knew that whatever was under that cloth was possibly quite gruesome.

"Alright.." she replied after breathing in deeply to center herself again...."Alright..."

She would clean up the blood...what a task...what a task....

Her eyes settled on the student (Kara) and darkened. Why were Hufflepuffs always in the wrong place at the wrong time. She walked over at the student and passed her hand over her face. Quick wandless memory modifying charm.

The student should only remember passing by here and nothing about the blood or dead student.

It was just like students to be nowhere around when he needed one. You think Maddox would have spotted one anywhere on his walk from the Third Floor here but apparently not? Had the man missed something? Was it a meal time? Class? No?

The Charms Professor descended the last set of staircases and made his way across the entrance hall. A fair day like this, maybe he'd find some of them roaming the grounds or lounging around the courtyard.

As he walked, he tossed the apple repeatedly into the air more out of habit than anything else. Not one bite was taken out of it nor would one be until he was sure the woman wasn't trying to kill him.

It may not have been a meal time, but ALL THE TIME was meal time for Dima, okay? Food was the key to happiness.

Also hugs, but he could do with just edible goods for now.

The third year was making his way from the large central staircase to the Great Hall when he caught sight of one Maddox Quigley from the corner of his eye. Oh. Oh, hey! They were FRIENDS now, which meant Dima could go bug him and all, right? Riiiight?

"Hi, sir? Are you going to eat? We can eat TOGETHER."

Footsteps? Now that was promising. There would be someone to try the apple for him afterall.

Maddox spun at the greeting but his face nearly fell when he realized why the voice had sounded so familiar. Dima Toussaint, the kid that made him swear off lying to him. Well he could hardly trick the kid into eating the apple, just imagine how he'd get AFTERWARDS--if he lived. There was that too. Honestly, Bellaire was capable of a lot of things and he wouldn't rule anything out just yet.

"I was going to eat, actually, but up in my office--this apple here." Shiny little thing wasn't it?

"Problem is, I'm not sure I WANT to eat it." Pause. He fixed the boy with a curious look. "I don't suppose you have any Gryffindor friends that would love to help a Professor out?"

Wouldn't that be convenient?

If anything was off about the professor's demeanor, Dima either hadn't noticed it or was crediting it to the lack of apple in Quigley's mouth.

"Oh? How come? You should eat it around people!" 'Cause everything was always more fun with people. Why wouldn't he want the apple, though? "Are you not hungry, sir? I dunno why everyone thinks Gryffindors like food the most. I can eat WAY more than half of them." Growing boy and all, you know?

Hint hint, sir. He wanted the apple.

But he could get another at the Great Hall, too.

And there he went, rambling on once you gave him something to run with. Maddox blinked and stared for a moment before firmly shaking his head. "It's not about who can eat the most, not really." There was a stereotype about Gryffindors and food? When did that move from being a Hufflepuff thing?

Merlin, then they told him the future looked bright with these children.

But back to this, to the Ravenclaw who...was technically asking for the apple...or hinting that he liked food....or just talking. Dima did that. "The problem is who it's from." Things should have started making more sense now. Maddox held the apple up toward the light for the boy to get a better look.

"It smells like Bellaire and now so does my office. I was never a fancy Ravenclaw like you are but..."

Or maybe that wasn't the way to go about it. "You wanna take a bite for me?"

"... yes?" Were Gryffindors not the food-y ones? Dima was sure of that. Ravenclaws were the ones you wanted to do your homework, Gryffindors were the ones who could inhale the whole kitchen, and Hufflepuffs were the ones who died all the time.

Except THIS year, of course. Ahem.

From Bellaire? Oh. Oh, Dima wasn't so sure he wanted to try that apple NOW. Merlin knew the two professors weren't exactly... fans of each other. But, like in the mind of a true Ravenclaw (or anyone who was just plain stupid), curiosity won out.

Okay. "Okay!" Give it here, man.

He had the eating down.

Maddox was almost sure the boy would have retracted his implied offer the moment Bellaire got dragged into it but then...he...wanted the apple anyway...?

Huh, look at that, he wouldn't be needing a Gryffindor afterall.

"Have at it." He said, tossing the apple toward the boy. Of course the man was as curious to know what might be wrong with the apple but he was far less willing to find out on himself. Just think, this time he didn't even have to lie! There might be something to this truth thing in the end...but it didn't make him anymore willing to try.

Not sorry.

Maddox folded his arms and waited for whatever would happen next, while praying to Merlin that the boy wouldn't drop dead--though wouldn't it be Sophia's fault?

He caught the apple, shining it a little on his sleeve juuust to make sure it was clean. And then Dima took a bite.

Huh. Was it supposed to taste weird yet? The third year cheerfully chomped his way through the rest of the fruit, making it all the way down to the core without making a mess or looking ill-mannered. It was gone in a matter of seconds, really. He hadn't eaten ALL DAY, okay?

After a few minutes had gone by, he was starting to wonder if Bellaire had even DONE anything to the apple, and then...

"..... hehehehehehEHEHEHEHEHEHE." GIGGLE. LOL. SO FUNNY. WHAT WAS SO FUNNY? Dima had nooo idea. Giiiiggle.

...

......

Unbelievable.

You tell a kid you didn't trust an apple and it was FINE he still wanted to be the brave soldier to taste it but then he didn't drop dead after the first bite and kept eating....he ..he ate all of it and the Charms Professor's face fell quite noticeably. If there was nothing wrong with it, he'd have at least liked a bite. The thing was extra shiny and looked like the stuff dreams were made of.

Now it was buried in the Ravenclaw's stomach and quite frankly the man was sad and disappointed and all those other feelings you can get when something so preci--

"Mister Toussaint...?"

Had he missed something.....? Blink blink. "Dima...?" The hell was so funny?

LOL. Maybe it was Professor QUIGLEY who was so hilarious? Or maybe he was just funny looking. Whatever the case was, Dima was dying of laughter over here. A few minutes into it, and the kid had doubled over. His stomach hurt, and he was grabbing at the stitches in his sides, but he just couldn't stop.

It was SO FUNNY.

Next thing, he was on the floor. Looool.

Right then...so he was just...going to walk away and hope whatever was in that apple wore off of Mister Toussaint before anyone else could find him and ask what was wrong with him. And why wouldn't he? It wasn't his fault the boy had fallen into some fit of hysteria, the man had only told him there was something wrong with the apple and he insisted on eating it. Clearly this wasn't his fault and Maddox could walk away with a clean conscience.

Except the boy was on the floor now and was likely to hurt himself if this continued.

With a heavy sigh the Charms Professor walked over to him and pulled him to his feet by his arm. "Come on, we'll get you some help for this....this..." He didn't even know but he was increasingly happy it hadn't been him.

"You don't supposed the Potions Professor will have a batch of something already on hand in his store room do you?" If so, would he have to ask? Merlin this was gonna be more work than it was worth. Maybe he should just leave him here. Surely it couldn't last forever.