Yep this whole situation had gone from just slightly disturbing to down right horrible. “I don’t want to glorify dumb choices…it’s a way to say ‘sorry you made the wrong one’ that’s all” Puck blinked and watched as Aegis was suddenly dangling.

“oh please its not a compliment Banner I know your sister would well kill me” she whispered as she stepped further from the scene. “especially if something happened to you and well…if I were able to stop it from happening” she admitted and nodded. Yep. Self preservation in full effect.

“Banner lets go” she whispered at him as she continued to walk toward the edge of the forest. Because clearly she wasn’t going to sit around and watch a friend of hers be attacked and dragged off.

ckhbdgzgrduirhgidrg Maddox raised his wand to be rid of the pouncing Acromantula before it could have another student but thankfully the centaur got it handled. This was not his day and he did not sign up for this.

Believe it or not, the Charms Professor side stepped the tossed boy, decidedly unwilling to catch him after his little stunt earlier but make no mistake, once the boy hit the ground, Maddox grabbed him by his robe and hauled him over to his housemate.

"We won't be needing a third warning." And with that he grabbed Zander's robe at the neck as well and headed for the exit. A little ways off, he noticed another centaur running for the exit but that was the least of his concerns now as he fast walked the two over fallen branches and outgrown roots. He'd caught the tail end of the conversation between the other two (Puck and Gabe) closer to the entrance and was relieved to hear they were leaving otherwise he'd have to grow an extra set of hands and haul them out too. Imagine how much work that would be for a considerably indifferent--if not somewhat FURIOUS--Professor.

Not once did he glance back to see if they were being followed, the goal was LEAVING and he was going to make sure they got that done.

OOC: Posting in Maddox's Office is gonna be a thing, yes, yes. Okay ^^

Back to the castle, but what about— Oh. You know in all this utter panic… The Gryffindor had yet to realize the reality of the situation. Gregoire was currently being hauled off by a mass of giant man-eating spiders…. The centaurs could surely do something… Right? And then O_____O AEGIS DANE. Were you TRYING to get yourself killed?? That would explain why he had come down to the forrest to begin with. Anyways, Zander would gladly get out of the forrest now that he was sure that they couldn’t do anything about Gregoire.

”Yes, Professor.” And you know, the forcing him to turn around thing wasn’t even necessary because Zander was going to follow the rules. Unlike a certain other Gryffindor. Cough. Cough. Cough. No wonder Agatha thought Aegis was insane. Zander started stepping forward, assuming that Professor Q was taking care of Aegis and that the two were going to follow right after— Uh. Was Aegis provoking the Centaurs AGAIN?? Merlin. He really did have a death wish.

Zander only turned around to make sure that everything was alright… Well as alright as it could be given the situation. And right in time too. As he turned he saw the Centaur sending over one Aegis Dane. Could they please leave now?

And right on cue, he was being grabbed by his robes. Oh Merlin. Oh Merlin. Oh Merlin.

Well this didn't work out as well as he thought it would. Not only were there spells being cast his way, but now the very centaur who had offered to feed the boy to the spiders was now kicking the spider that took him up on his offer.

After falling to the ground with a thunk, the spider got up and scurried off in the direction the others had taken the human boy. It wasn't long before the rest of the spiders started to retreat back into the forest too.

This was one day they would not soon forget about. The day a human actually fell prey to them.

Althea had been more than willing to lend her expertise to check and double check the wards and protections that had now been put in place around the forest. She and Ivy were, after all, former charms professors themselves, it was certainly well and truly in their skill-set to do so. Althea intended to add a few other spells too, it wouldn't hurt to layer them in ways that even the smartest Ravenclaws wouldn't be able to figure out.

... though she liked to think her former house, the one her adopted son was now in, consisted of students who wouldn't attempt a trip into the forest, especially not now.

She was walking a little in front of the other Hogwarts Governors that had accompanied her, her wand out.

"Here." She said, coming to a stop. "This is where the age line begins." She measured the distance to the entrance of the forest with her eyes, and then looked back over her shoulder at the others. "We'll need to double check its perimeter, test for any weak spots, and then we'll check the barrier at the entrance of the forest itself." And then Corin had said he'd wanted to see the 'scene of the crime', had he not? Althea wasn't much a fan of that phrase, it left a bad taste in her mouth.

His wand drawn cautiously down at his side, the silver-haired Governor trudged towards the edge of the forest. He paused for a moment and looked around, his gaze taking in the looming canopies before him. The Forbidden Forest still looked... well forbidding. Although he completely understands why some may actually feel drawn to it.

He pauses right by where Althea stopped. "Right... lets widen the height and depth of the ageline just to be sure." he suggested as he took a few paces back.

Charms was her specialty (one of them), so it was obvious that Ivy would be here, at the edge of the Forbidden Forest to test the protective charms they had placed around it. The whole ordeal had her confused. It didn't matter what house the student was in, it was stupid, immature, and one of the most ignorant and arrogant acts one could do. Ivy considered her self smart, quick and experienced, but she would never blatantly attack an acromantula without good reason.

Regardless, they were here because someone did. And they were protecting the students of their school. Her wand was out far before they reached the border. She worked with Althea to test the charms, specifically the age line. They were the charms experts here.

"Did you still want to investigate where it happened, Mr. Vanderbilt?" she inquired as she worked. The reinforcement wouldn't take long, so if he wanted to she was suggesting to get started.

"I am wondering what brought the acromantulas out so far to begin with. They are usually found far deeper in the forest after all." Not that that was any excuse for what had happened, but all the same, they couldn't be distracted when there was potentially more going on beneath the surface.

Thea found a weak point in the age line and mended it, her wand flicking economically and with precise control.

She nodded at Corin and increased the height and depth, beneath the ground level and above her own substantial height. Hopefully nobody would be stupid enough to try any funny business, but it didn't hurt to put the measures in place... for peace of mind. The parents would appreciate that much at least.

Carefully, she began layering extra spells, anchoring them to the age line so that being breached would set off the others - a caterwauling charm, which she anchored to a small stone paperweight which she'd give to the headmistress, and a rebounding charm which would push any child back forcibly, but rather like bouncing off a large balloon. Not at all painful, but certainly enough to provide a formidable barrier for the young. She looked along the line at Ivy.

What did she think? They would be enough, too much more attached to the age line would give it instability due to its spread, but these two were balanced enough, and if the line was breached the paperweight would make a heck of a noise too.

Nobody could say that Truebridge hadn't reacted quickly and appropriately this time, or that measures weren't in place to protect against future incidents. The Board were standing with her on this one... despite the need for investigation of the situation as a whole.

As for Corin's particular investigation... "Will you be seeking out the centaurs?"

"Yes I would like to have a look around." Corin murmured to his fellow Governors. He helped Althea and Ivy set the final touches to the spells surrounding the forest before making a cautious step forward "It is unusual to have the spiders be out this close to the edge of the forest, or even at that time of day….. Then again if people have been habitually wandering about these parts that would certainly pique the curiosity of the forest’s inhabitants." he surmised.

But he didn’t like settling on mere conjectures. Not when there was a life so dearly paid already. So he paced to the edge of the barrier and murmured a spell, moving his wand against it in an arch as if to mark an invisible doorway "I’ve made this part of the barrier semi-permeable to us, so we can come in and out through this section."

And as for the Centaurs "—I’m actually more keen to study the site where it all happened. If the Centaurs drop by for a chat—well, I’ll take that as good fortune." for themselves and not for the critters he hoped.

And with his wand at the ready he pressed against the barrier, passing around him with a gel like consistency. Once inside he held his wand aloft and lighted the dimness that surrounded them.

"As am I," Ivy murmured, drawing her wand effortlessly to improve the placed charms. "I hope it's something we can find out in our investigation." It wasn't like the Acromantulas be so near to the the border of the forest. Something must have lured them out. It could have been the reckless student, but he wasn't here to ask anymore.

Ivy continued to reinforce the charms as Althea placed some new ones. She nodded in approval. It seemed all precautions were necessary now.

"We should seek out the Centaurs," Ivy voiced, instead of a question or a hope for "good fortune". They were basically the eyes and ears of the forest. "Any word they can give us of what happened will be useful." She directed this to Corin, since he wanted to do the investigating.

Thundering hooves alerted the visitors to the arrival of the centaurs. They were getting really tired of the humans and their trespassing. One would think that they would learn after the past events but no...they were back.

Did they think that the centaurs would be here to protect them? They DID NOT WORK FOR THEM!

The dark haired horse rose up on his hind legs as they moved out of the shadows.

"We will not save you this time humans. Stay away from our forrest. Your presence throws our home into discord."

Corin nodded at Ivy’s words. It would be quite helpful if they could have a proper conversation with the Centaurs. However, recent events—that which they were investigating—wasn’t exactly the kind that would guarantee an audience with them, much less a warm reception.

With a flick of his wrist his wand shown brighter, dispelling the darkness that surrounded them. He moved forward at a measured pace, looking at the ground, trying to recognize tracks... clues... anything that would give them a better understanding of the physicality of the event.

He was just about to do the next step in his investigation when he heard and felt the rumbling on the ground. Icy blues gazed sharply at the direction of the sound as it drew closer to where they stood. That sound could only mean one thing “Well Ivy... looks like they heard you.” He murmured to the brunette.

The silver haired man took a cautious step back when the Centaurs appeared, larger than life. And none too pleased to see them obviously. He raised his palms in the air, to show that they mean no harm “Mighty Centaurs, our deepest apologies in trespassing your realm once again. But we seek your wisdom in these troubling times.” He was hoping that was respectful enough to at least not trample them where they stood.

Good fortune was one way to look at it, sure. Althea straightened to her full height and watched calmly as the centaurs thundered towards them. She didn't flinch of course, but anyone would find it a bit intimidating.

"Are Thereos or Guiron amongst you, sirs." Thea spoke, then bowed slightly, intentionally naming two of the centaurs who had helped the school before. While she didn't know Guiron personally, she did know Thereos, having had worked with him for the two years she had taught Charms in the school. It would be better to speak with a centaur who had the inclination to help to at least some degree, of that she was certain.

Did the human think that apologies would fix the mess that they were in? Did he think that it would restore balance to those forest? If he did he was sadly mistaken. They had attacked the acromantulas, fixing the relationship would be a hard task.

"Seeking help? Seeking protection you mean." The centaurs behind him all nodded and stomped in approval.

He turned to the woman who was speaking and frowned.

He rose up on his hind legs once again, feeling insulted.

"You do not get to request to whom you speak. Thanks to your foal Thereos is being trying to sooth the murky relationship with the spiders. You speak to us or leave."

Sigh. Sigh. Sigh. Ivy was tired.

"We're not looking for your protection, Centaurs." Ivy stepped forward and addressed the one speaking and the others beside him. They were skilled enough to protect themselves in the forest. Well, at least she and Althea were. "We're looking for answers. A boy died in this forest earlier and we want to know what happened. Since you are the eyes and ears of the forest, we're asking you kindly to provide us with what you know. In return," Ivy paused to gesture towards the edge of the forest, "We will protect your forest from further student trespassing." That was fair, was it not? It would only be Centaur stubbornness that would decide against it. Ivy waited for a response.

They didn't have anymore information for them than what they already had. Why were humans so annoying and most importantly where were they seen as the superior beings when they were so unintelligent?

"We do not have any information that can help you in anyway. Your foal wandered into the forest and he was eaten by spiders. Teach them to stay out and they will not fall pray to the creatures that live here. This is our homes humans. We do not trespass into yours, so do not trespass into ours."

Corin wasn’t one to decline an offer of protection—no matter how caustic it may have been presented. But their objectives were currently of a more pressing concern. They needed information—whether gleaned from the Forest itself or from the Centaurs... although the latter doesn’t seem to be giving them much to work with other than contempt and a rehash of what they already know.

His icy blue gaze fell into the dank dimness from beyond the tree line when he had a thought. “Mighty Centaurs....” he addressed them again in the same regard of respect as he had earlier “... it is our understanding that the Acromantula lairs are deeper within the Forbidden Forest, where the scarcity of light and the abundance of tranquility makes it most conducive to have their colony. Given that you are aware of most everything in this forest, have you noticed if there have been changes in the Acromantula territories-- have their boundaries shifted in any way?” Because as far as he could tell, they were still pretty close to the edge that meets the open grounds that surrounded the castle “Have there been any... behavioral shifts that would indicate why they would move farther from their habitat? Or perhaps any changes with the woodland itself that may have affected those colonies?” Environmental factors do impact on creatures in more ways than one. “Have the Groundskeeper or the Headmistress or any of the Hogwarts faculty been informed of any of these seemingly insignificant anomalies that may have led to the run-in between our students and the Acromantulas?”

Her patience was wearing thin. She avoided looking at Ivy, certain that the other woman would be more than aware of her growing ire, given how long they'd known one another. Althea was inclined to think the centaurs were hiding something. But Corin with his silvertongue was, in a round about way, getting to the matter in regards to which they most wanted an answer. The acromantulas usually were deeper in the forest than where the child had been eaten. She'd never known centaurs to be overly fond of acromantulas themselves so their complete lack of cooperation was almost notable in that sense, unless relations with the centaurs had truly degenerated so far in the past several terms?

This was why she'd never taught Care of Magical Creatures, because some of them had a trumped up bloody opinion of themselves when a little bit of good manners simply wouldn't hurt.

But not a whiff of this showed on Althea's face, her expression remained polite and unmoved. The centaur could rear up all he wanted, she wasn't about to be intimidated, and the sooner they answered the sooner they would leave them be.