Given the urgency in the notice, Javier promptly entered in the Staff Room. It wasn't far from his office after all. He wasn't thirsty nor hungry at the moment so the Professor merely sat down and waited on his other colleagues. In between his own thoughts he considered the reasons on their urgent summoning.

Hmm..

Moxley wasn't one to show up early but she'd be lying if she said she wasn't worried about what she'd just heard. And so the muggle studies professor had hurried to the staff room, tea in hand. Tea made even these buzzkill meetings bearable.

"Hey, Javy." Handsome man. Looked a bit worried, too. Meredith took up the seat beside him and squirmed around until she was comfortable. Sigh. "Doubt this'll be good." JUST saying.

Archie wasted no time in rushing to the staff room after the urgent summoning from the headmistress. It was nerve wracking, for some reason, and he couldn't help but feel like he had PERSONALLY done wrong. He was at least pleased to see that he wasn't the first to arrive. That at least meant he had gotten the right room.

"Hello." He said quietly to the professors already there. Mouse-like. And now we wait.

Forgive him for not picking up his step as he made his way to the Staff Room but after everything just now Maddox was tired. Not physically tired but mentally. He'd been trying his damned hardest to understand WHY, just why. If he could figure a decent reason behind this and not the shoddy ones the students had given him then maybe it could have helped, as it stood he supposed he'd never hear Mister Bastion's reason, not even the half hatted reason. Just thinking about it maybe him more furious each time and it showed in his expression.

He was beginning to think Mister Scabior had been on to something with his insisting on a dictionary. If more of them knew the term forbidden...just maybe...but it was a little late for maybes now wasn't it?

Maddox pulled himself into the room, munching on what might have been his third or fourth apple and mumbled a greeting to the two already present before slumping into a chair. His afternoon would be wasted now, thanks to the ignorance of children. Bloody brilliant.

She had been in her office working on a few changes to her newest divination rebuttal article about Astrology when she got the potrunous that she was needed in the staff room. Knowing Cassie didn't get too many of those, she quickly gathered her things and headed down from the seventh floor. She tried to figure out what it could be about, but thought maybe something with the prefect event or help was needing on something. Maybe someone exciting was coming to visit and they needed to meet right away. Her thoughts always to the positive side of things she smiled as she moved down the staircase.

Finally getting to the staff room she opened the door and entered, "Hello everyone." Finding a seat closest to Javy she beamed, "How is everyone today?" Glancing at Meredith and then to Archie before letting her green eyes fall on Javy, he had pictures of his new little one to show so she hoped she could get to see those soon! Oh and Maddox was there, he wasn't looking so good. "You okay?"

Nessa had been rather startled to see Annie's patronus in her office, and the message sounded awfully concerning. She just hoped it wasn't anything too terrible, but she had a strange, nagging feeling that something was very wrong. Only one way to find out though, so she headed out of her office and down to the floor below right away.

Oh, goodness, most of her colleagues were already assembled there. But at least that would mean that it would get started sooner and she was terribly anxious to know what was so urgent. "Hello everyone!" she called out cheerfully to the group, but she didn't smile too brightly, thinking it might not be all that appropriate. Especially given the somber expressions of a few. Hm.

She slid into the seat next to Archie and leaned over to hoarsely whisper, "What do you think this is about?" She was sort of on the edge of her seat with wanting to know. At least figuratively.

Tiara walked briskly into the staff room. The message from the nundu Patronus still reverberated loud and clear in her mind: "Urgent meeting in the staff room NOW. Consider the castle under lockdown until further notice." So Tiara had shooed a few random students back to their common rooms on her way here, though she'd really only encountered a few. Had they unknowingly unleashed something from the Chamber of Secrets during their exploration that was now terrorizing the school? Was there another threat against Quidditch that Anastasia was overreacting to?

All this was on her mind as she surveyed the scene. Glendower and Morgan, the two newbies, and Thompson. None likely to be a fount of information, but it was worth a shot. "Any idea what's going on? Lockdown means serious business." Obviously.

Talk about a pleasant day.

Cosgrach had woken up feeling fresh that day, had a good breakfast and even strolled on the grounds for a while after breakfast. He'd got a letter from an old friend that made him even happier, and it all seemed like a good day, until the patronus that called them urgently. He didn't know why and the students he'd encountered on the short way to here seemed pretty normal to him. The school seemed normal too. Well. They'd find out soon... in the meantime, he entered the staff room just in time to hear Tiara's question, and simply shrugged. Let's see if anyone else knew something.

Botros' cane was heard a moment before he was seen. He walked into the room with a rather solemn look on his face, but a small smile appeared when he laid eyes on his young colleagues. "Hello." He greeted them politely and continued to walk towards his seat at the table. The weather was not as cold and tiring as before but he still wore one of his ugly Christmas cardigans.

Leo had been in the middle of clearing away wombat droppings on the Stained Glass Windows and chatting with the occasional student when the nundu patronus belonging to Annie had showed up and delivered its urgent message to assemble in the staff room for an urgent meeting. The air of the message had given Leo a very bad feeling that had formed itself in the pit of his stomach. Annie didn't put the school on lockdown everyday which meant that something very bad had most likely happened.

Ushering the student's out of the library Leo made his way swiftly down the stairs and into the Staff Room on the first floor where many of his colleagues had already assembled for the meeting. "Hello!" he greeted them all in turn before he took the unclaimed seat in between Cossy and Cassie.

What was going on?

With long strides and an even longer expression, Anastasia clicked into the staff room and cleared her throat at the head of their seating area. It was time she brought this meeting to order, and order she would have, despite everything that had... happened.

"I'm glad you all made it here safely," she began, "because tonight, one of our students did not make it back to Hogwarts. Gregoire Bastion, a Slytherin fourth-year transfer from Beauxbatons, was in the Forbidden Forest tonight when he fell victim to an acronmantula attack. His nearly unrecognizable body was brought back to the castle by a centaur." She shivered at the boy's last memories she had seen in her pensieve, and again as she recalled seeing the mangled corpse. "Gregoire was apparently following Gryffindors Aegis Dane and Zander Adair when he was silenced by the former for reasons which may remain unknown." May remain unknown forever, along with any other secrets the teenaged Slytherin may take to his grave. "His last memories show that he attempted to provoke the acromantulas, and then expel them from the forest using Arania Exumai, but his spells were not strong enough."

She looked around at the staff somberly as she continued, but not without a bit of bitterness to her tone now. "Prefects Puck Grevyson and Gabriel Banner were apparently also patrolling around the forest at the time, although WHY they felt the FORBIDDEN Forest needed patrolling is beyond me. Professor Quigley caught them all out there but jumped in just a moment too late, it seems, to save young Gregorie." Annie could feel the tears starting to sting the back of her eyes but she held them back. "He dragged the three Gryffindors back to the castle but I believe Banner may still be on the loose--- HOPEFULLY he is only in his dormitory." Because if she had the deaths of TWO students on her hands right now... she would not be coming back for another term, or even another WEEK.

The Headmistress took a shuddery breath. "Heads of Houses, you will need to find a delicate way to inform your students of what transpired tonight in an ABSOLUTELY OUT OF BOUNDS area. Do NOT go into detail. Be DELICATE with this... death. Flamsteed...." wait, where WAS Flamsteed? "I'll need to talk to him separately, if anyone sees him," she added in a soft mutter.

"As for the Forbidden Forest... I propose that we set up a FIRM perimeter, a magical barrier around it, perhaps an age line as well, so that no more of our students can give in to their stupidity and curiosity. This boy's death could have been prevented ENTIRELY if he had used some common sense." And that reminded her. "I'll also be offering a refresher course on COMMON SENSE and SAFETY, if you'll all remind your classes to watch their noticeboards."

Good, Anastasia had arrived. And rather than calming Tiara down, the look on the Headmistress's face stirred a blind panic inside. And as the boss woman began to talk, Tiara's mind began to shut down. Annie was raining down blow after blow. Gregoire.. dead. The same student who had seemed so foolhardy at the Opening Feast she'd run detention for. Two more students had almost met the same fate. And her own Prefect had been where he shouldn't have been. She simply shook her head, unable to take so much at once.

Eventually her Ravenclaw side began to kick in and she tried to regain order in her brain. "I agree with the.." she choked back some tears, "..with the barrier. That should have been done long ago." She would march right out there and do it herself right now!

Everyone was being so quiet and Cassie started noticing frowns. Why was everyone frowning? Of course the Headmistress Patronous said about a lock down, but Cassie just assumed because it was for something good, never something bad and she was still forcing the positives to stay. They would all see it wasn't going to be bad, she kept her positive smile on her face and it grew seeing Leo come in and sit down next to her.

She almost turned to say a better hello to him, when the headmistress had come in and she was not looking positive either. She was not talking positive and the words coming out of her mouth. Cassie gasped and let out a squeak noise as her hand flew to her face. A student had died? A student was gone? No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no this could not be. No this wasn't in the signs, this wasn't in anything. No she had felt happiness earlier excitement even. Her brain started turning and then she felt utterly sick. The chatter, the sense in feelings it was from the acronmantulas. They had a sense of irritation, but they were always irritated so she didn't zone in on it, she ignored it, then she felt them get excited and happy, again just letting it pass.

OHMYLANTA, she wasn't feeling good now. Her hand stayed over her mouth, she couldn't speak from the awful thoughts and tears hit her cheeks. She wanted to help out in anyway she could, but right now it was just shock and numbness that she was feeling. A student had died she couldn't get her head to wrap around it.

At last Javier glanced towards the direction of the door opening, "Hello Meredith.. Archie." Merlin. The school being under Lockdown. The school was either under attack or... No. It couldn't be that other possibility. Or least it better not be. From the looks on Maddox's face if that was any indication. Did he know something?

Hmm.. "Curious.." He muttered considering the situation. The sight of Cassie reminded him that he had pictures to show. But later on of course as there were more pressing matters. Shaking his head in a 'no' matter to Tiara's question. He had been away and just flooed back in his office when he received the message. He had been about to greet Leo and Abraham when Annie arrived right after. His brows nearly knotted together at her somber expression before she finally laid it all out.

....

...........

The brows that had nearly joined together separated. A student had died. Did everyone hear the exact same thing or were his ears betraying him in letting him think something tragic and unfortunate had actually happened as he could feel something blank overcome him.

Unfortunately it was true by the incriminating details along with Tiara and Cassie's reaction. Javy gently placed a friendly-supporting hand on her shoulder. His own mind was not focusing on some of the foolish acts done by the students but merely on the actual consequence. An Acromantula had claimed a boy in the forest.. A young boy at that. He knew enough about those creatures in how least discriminatory they were with prey from his University days and occasional accidents that took place. His face was now solemn. He didn't have to personally know the boy to feel like this.

As for the proposal and their suggestion on informing students, "..Consider it done." His head was going to be even more busier tonight. Merlin.. Of all things to have happened.

He'd heard Cassie's question and thought to respond but the only thing that came out was a sort of grunt before he took another bite out of his apple, the crunch audible in the silence. How much longer would he have to sit here before they could get started and he could leave? This wasn't the kind of meeting he expected he'd have to sit in on in his first year of teaching and though he'd never been particularly fond of the boy or many of them for that matter it was a shame. Earlier the boy had asked him for Animagus training and he turned him down--with good reason--and now he was dead.

Blue eyes glided back to the door as Annie finally entered.

Perhaps one of the only things to sink in--given he'd been there and knew everything else--was the fact the boy's body had been found. That must have been why he spotted the Centaur bolting out of the forest the way it was. Naturally he was all for the age line, feeling it could have saved a life as intelligence wasn't something they passed around in the pumpkin juice these days. "I can assist with that." The age line, yeah.

And another nod. The next time he saw his class he'd remind them about the little refresher. Might show up himself just to sit in.

Leo was sitting silently in his seat in between Cassie and Cossy when Annie arrived and started the meeting. He didn’t know what he had expected her to say but it wasn’t this. A student death was dreadful, tragic and just unbelievably wrong. Stunned Leo reached out under the table and wrapped his left hand around Cassie’s for comfort and support. This was just wrong and he didn’t even know what to say or how to respond. This was one time when he had really wished his gut feeling had been wrong.

Clearing his throat he said calmly with a glance in Annie’s direction. It was best to focus on the practical issues or he’d break down in tears over this tragic death. "I'll search for Prefect Banner. He is one of my eagles after all. If he isn't in his dormitory he might still be in the library. Did you wish to speak to him after I've located him?" Leo was going to have a conversation with his prefect too to get Gabriel’s side of the story.

"An age line seems like an appropriate safety measure given this dreadful tragedy as well as a refresher course in common sense and safety." Leo agreed softly. Looking over at Tiara he said "I'll call a house meeting first thing tomorrow morning before breakfast. I'll share the tragic news with the eagles then. Can I count on you to be there for the meeting?" Even if it was on his shoulders, as head of house to actually relay the terrible news it didn’t mean that it couldn’t be good if Tiara was there to meet the reactions of the students too.

This was a very sad time. Leo hoped that his eagles would bond together in the face of this tragedy and come out of it stronger.

There was Annie, they didn't have to wait long. Cosgrach could tell something was terribly wrong that day on her face, so he frowned a little and listened...

...

......

.........Forbidden Forest... Acromantula attack... Zander and Aegis - silenced, unrecognisable - provoke the acromantulas - none of it made sense. None. Because this was plain mad. A kid had died - no, KILLED by acromantulas, and Zander was in it, Aegis had silenced the boy, who stupidly tried to FIGHT... Cosgrach blinked as fury started to build in himself. He knew the boy. It was the Slytherin who tried to fight with a TROLL last year. Then he thought about his family, and felt a lump in his throat. Your son has died... It didn't even matter if Gregoire had entered somewhere he shouldn't have. The fact that he'd died... He shook his head and focused back, because then he'd think of people he loved, and he didn't want to think of that.

He nodded at last. Javy got Cassie, so he didn't say anything to her. "I'm ready to do whatever you assign." He would love to teach these kids forbidden was FORBIDDEN and rules were there for a REASON.

A boy had died. A Slytherin was dead. He'd been young-too young- and foolish and he'd died for it. Meredith didn't know what to think of this. The sadness and anger came quickly and felt like a punch to the stomach. Her first year wasn't meant to go like this. Sure the kids were crazy and a pain at times but none of them deserved a fate like that.

Deciding against speaking, Moxley instead put herself in the boy's family's shoes and the thought of receiving word from Hogwarts that a son or a brother or a grandson was dead...Tears welled up in her eyes and she looked down, wiping at them before anyone could see. It was a mother's worst nightmare.

Anything else that had been said was heard but not commented on. An age line and a magical barrier would both help but had it really taken the death of a student to put these things in place? Again, there was anger.

Could she go yet? She wanted to contact her husband and daughter and tell them she loved them.

"I would." Maddox spoke up at Leo's question despite it not being directed at him. "When you do find him, let him know I'd like to have a word with him." Having already seen and dealt with the other three, it was hardly justice to let him go on about his business when Puck admitted to him being their and the Headmistress had just confirmed it.

"It wouldn't need to be tonight, not with the lockdown but I will need to speak with him." Nothing would get done tonight as far as this was all concerned but fair was fair.

The look on Annie's face when she walked in had Botros prepare himself for the worst. It came true when she started talking and delivering the horrible news of a student's death. It wasn't the first time in Botros' long, long life that a student passed away in the institute he worked at, he knew how to act during these times of sorrow.

He nodded at the headmistress' list of instructions and reminders. It was going to be heartbreaking delivering this kind of news to his house, though. Seeing their young, innocent faces. Sigh. "One would think the Forbidden Forest name is enough warning." He murmured weakly. But yeah, the age line and the common sense class sounded good steps.

No one was taking this news well, no one at all, and Annie herself just wanted to go home and hug her family. For now, she had to wrap her arms around her own elbows to keep herself standing upright.

"I don't need to see Banner," she shook her head at Leo first. "I... I thank you, Javy, Maddox, for securing the forest... let me know when it's done." That would at least be one step of action she could describe to the parents of the boy.

Speaking of, though, "I think we should do some kind of memorial for Gregoire. I would ask the prefects to plan it, but..." but obviously the Heads of House and herself had selected mostly idiots to help them run the school this year. She shook her head and just sighed instead of finishing her sentence. "Does anyone have anything else to add?" If not, this meeting was adjourned.

She was still in shock, but she felt the hand on her shoulder and reached up patting the hand with hers. Javy, her sweet sweet friend was comforting her. She couldn't wrap her bubbly little head around something so devastating and she sat quietly sniffling with the tears on her cheeks. A student, a young child, it was just all so horrible. Feeling something in her other hand it didn't register for a second that it was Leo's, finally when it did she turned her head and looked at him sympathetically and squeezed it back. She was glad to have him here next to her too. Such sweet caring people in this room. Everyone in here, her eyes moved to all of them.

She hadn't said anything about the class, nor did she say about the age line, no others spoke and found voices for that. She did however feel she needed to help, her voice was still so lost and her brain wasn't clicking to work very well. The thoughts of the poor children that witnessed what happened and the poor student just kept everything else from registering.

Finally her hand raised a bit and in almost a whisper she found words to say, "I.. I will help with a memorial. If you are looking for help. " She could help figure out something. She agreed with Annie they should do something for him. *wibbles*

Looking over at Maddox Leo nodded. "All right, I’ll send Gabriel to your office tomorrow morning after breakfast, if that works for you? I want him to be present at the meeting in the Ravenclaw Common Room when I break the tragic news about Gregroire's death to all the eagles." He expected Gabriel and Coral-Bay to be there as senior eagles and house prefects to give comfort and support to both their age peers and the younglings of the house.

"Okay," Leo said in response to Annie's comment. Gabriel just needed to have a talk with Maddox since he had disciplined the others students who had been trespassing in the Forbidden forest. Squeezing Cassie’s hand absent-mindedly Leo mumbled softly. "A memorial for Gregroire seems appropriate. I think many students would like to be able to pay their respects maybe even leave a note."

Shaking his head he said "No, I've got nothing to add." Leo didn’t mind if the meeting was adjourned. He wanted to find Gabriel and then check on the rest of his eagles and of course send owls to his family before he went to bed.

Turning to Cassie after she had volunteered to help arrange the memorial Leo whispered quietly as he searched her eyes. "Will you be all right?" He had head of house duties to perform but he didn’t want to just leave her alone in this shocking situation. The news of Gregroires death affected them all but it seemed to have hit Cassie the hardest. Leo could sense that and thus he didn't just want to leave the meeting without knowing that she’d be okay.

A memoir for Gregoire...and Cassie said she'd help plan it? She looked so disturbed by everything that Annie was surprised the normally bubbly woman was even be able to muster up a whisper. But she gave her a nod that said they would discuss this later, and then looked around the room one last time.

No further comments? "Okay then, I know we all have things to do but... please, keep an eye on our students. We don't need the animals of the forest getting any more ideas that we're here for their meals...." Erm, that wasn't the best way to phrase that. Annie sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Meeting dismissed. Thank you."

The Headmistress led the way out of the room first.