Time had been doing that funny thing where it just seemed to slip him by.

The man had been in the practice room, giving extra lessons to those who had asked for it when, all of a sudden, his tired eyes had found the time. Sure, it wasn't exactly past curfew and he was sure that the students had had dinner - they should've - but he hadn't. He needed his good today if he wanted to go jogging tomorrow, after all. And if he ended up in the Hospital Wing, he had a funny feeling that River wasn't exactly going to let him live it down.

So, here he was: rushing along the first floor corridor on his way to, at least, the dessert part of dinner. It wasn't his favourite part but it would have to do for the time being. And maybe, just maybe, the house elves could make him something with sausages in it if he asked nicely enough. Or the Three Broomsticks might have something nice there. Again, it would have to do.

But for now, his main priority was to get something in his system.

Okay.

So she had no real destination in mind, but that didn't mean she was lost. No. She had wandered nearly every inch of this castle for SIX YEARS. Longer than some professors. Yeah man. She was seasoned.

Having dragged herself to dinner, and away from her books, she had chowed down quickly and excused herself at the first opportunity. Yeah. And now she was dragging her hand across the wall aND totally lost in thought. So lost, in fact, that she didn't see the offensive defense professor BARRELING AT HER.

And the collision happened.

The blonde girl yelped as he slammed into her, her foot getting STEPPED ON IN THE PROCESS.

"SWEET CIRCE YOU ARE GONNA KILL SOMEONE IF YOU DON'T WATCH OUT! " She shouted as she leaned DRAMATICALLY against the wall and raised her foot to clutch in her hand.

Stupid defense professor was trying to RUIN HER LIFE!

He hadn't have a much time to wander around Hogwarts castle. Well, he did visit the kitchen several times because his unconditional love for food. Evan could say that the house elves' cooking was not that bad, although he still couldn't stand those stuffs called black pudding and refried beans. It's just weird for his palate.

Walking across a corridor with a cup of , the Ilvermorny student didn't know exactly where he was. He was about to go to the library but it seemed like that... It's not located nearby. Shoot, Evan should've had a map about this castle or something that could lead him to the right direction.

Goodness.

Perhaps he should turn back and head to the kitchen but again... Evan didn't know where he was now. Help?

The first floor was kinda like Vivian's favourite floor of all of Hogwarts, did you know? That was because of so many reason. Firstly, it was nearest her common room and so she didn't need to make a lot of effort climbing up staircases to reach classrooms that were on the Towers and all. And the second would be because it was the floor where Professor Pretty Hirsch's office was located. Having visited there before, the blonde could say that it was one of the best encounters of her life. Who didn't like a one-on-one session with Professor Crush, anyway?

And maybe that was one of the reasons why she was skipping along the first floor corridor. She hoped she might bump into Pretty Professor if he came along, and she'd go 'oh Merlin, what a coincidence!'

But, apparently, Vivian wasn't the only one in the corridor. She saw a random boy who looked nothing but lost. The blonde made a fair assumption that Mr. Lost Dude was a student from that American school. "You know, unless you're off to visit the Swamp or want to talk to the Portraits..." the Slytherin said. "You're looking rather lost."

The Ilvermorny guy also had no idea how on earth he could be here. Perhaps because of the moving staircase suddenly made him to take this way. Next time he should've brought a small notepad and took a note about this place, or even draw a map that he could understand.

Maybe he should... go back to the stairs, yeah.

Turning his heels back, there was a Hogwarts girl talked to him. Did he really look like he was lost? Evan couldn't help but chuckled sheepishly. "Ah... yeah, I uh.. I'm kind of lost." He answered her question while rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm supposed to... go to the library but... This is not the right floor, is it?" Well, she did mention about swamp and the portraits though. Why none of the professors (either from Ilvermorny or the host ones) provided a map for the visitors? "Could you uh... show me the way to the library, please?"

With the lost look on the guy's face, Vivian cracked a small smile. She would've laughed because Merlin, could he see his face? But nah, she didn't want to seem disrespectful to the people they were supposed to welcome. "From Ilvermorny, aren't you?" she asked, even if it was already so evident. He looked rather too old to be another lost firstie.

... The library? Vivian couldn't contain the growing smile on her face. "That's cute. Well, if you actually go lost in the stairs... you just came back to the first floor," she said. So literally, he was back to square one. "I really think you, guys, should be given a map. I dunno just how many of you have lost yourselves here." In fact, even the Slytherin herself had gotten lost because of the staircases during her first year. Not that she was going to say that to the dude anyway.

"The library's on the fourth floor, just so you know. Do you want me to come with you?" the fourth year offered. "My name's Vivian."

With his thoughts stuck on food, there were a number of things that Hirsch didn't notice while he hurried down the corridor. For one, he didn't notice that there was someone else in the corridor as well which led him to two, not noticing how close he was to the person and three, that he was close enough to step on the person's toes.

Constant vigilance who?

Hirsch let out a loud YELP and jumped back as quickly as possible. It look a short few seconds of blinking and adjusting his glasses to notice that the person standing there was one very upset and very mad Dora Umbridge. Uh. He stood there, eyebrows raised, while she shouted at him about... killing someone? What?

"Sorry, Miss Umbridge, my mind was somewhere else." Should he correct her about the logistics of killing someone by bumping into them? No. Not when she was clutching her foot. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

Dora was giving the man a stink eye which would make her father proud. An Umbridge stink eye, if you will. And yes her foot was THROBBING. Couldn't he tell?

The blonde girl leaned against the wall and pulled her shoe off. Stupid Hirsch with his stupid glasses! Hmph. "Do I look okay? I think you've broken my toe. " PAIN, AGONY!

Dramatics.

That was all.

"What were rushing off to do? " That he was endangering the toes of students. Hmph.

Was that really obvious that he's not a Hogwarts student? Ah well, no one would stupidly be in a wrong floor if they went here, unless they had a memory problem or newcomer. "Yeah, I am." He nodded slightly and chuckled. "My goodness, I knew it that the stairs led me to the wrong floor." This castle was enormous and there was no direction or whatsoever. For a visitor like him, the chance of getting lost was huge.

The Ilvermorny sighed at the map comment. "Right? I just... had no idea why the professors didn't provide a map." Whether it was the host's fault or them, Evan didn't know exactly. "Ah, thank you. I uh.. well, do you have something to do around?" Like an appointment with the professor or going to the class? Because now that he knew that the library is located on the fourth floor, he could go there by himself. Only some certain people would be lost twice, right? :Oh, right.. I'm Evan. Nice to meet you, Vivian."

See? She had been right. Vivian couldn't contain the smile anymore, and so it grew until she had to bite her tongue before she looked ridiculous in front of a guy. She started being self-conscious around guys lately. "What made you think you could master the moving staircases? It took me more than a year to get around." It even meant getting into corridors she wasn't familiar with, and a couple of places she didn't want to be. "But that's okay. You'll get a hang of it, and you won't even be here after term ends." He didn't have to memorise the paths like the Hogwarts students did.

"Well, you better drop that into a suggestion box or something. It could save more American lives," Vivian said and winked. Also, it would save her from having to skip by more lost faces from the Ilvermorny students. "Actually, I don't. I was just hoping to meet someone along the corridor by chance." And she'd leave out the tiny detail that she was hoping it'd be their Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. That would be a tad weird piece of information to share to stranger. "Nice to meet you too, Evan!" He received another wide beam from the Slytherin.

Anywaaay... "What were you supposed to do in the library?" she asked. Studying, perhaps? Didn't they have at least a book shelf at the little red car they lived in? "Also, how's Hogwarts for you so far?"

Evan just chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck when the girl said about mastering the staircase. "So that means... Many students had become a victim like me?" Maybe victim didn't really sound right, but he just could not find a proper word. "Right... I probably should tell Professor Williams about this." How could the professors forget about this? They wanted their students to be safe, didn't they?

Sometimes he just didn't understand adults logic.

What was he supposed to do in the library? "Reading." The Ilvermorny boy answered that in an obvious way. Well, what else he wanted to do there besides reading the books that the library provided? "I kind of enjoy it, so far. Although the weather is a little bit chilly for me." Evan had never left the Beetle without a proper winter hoodie and scarf.

Victims of the moving staircases? If Vivian had to count that, she would have given up when it reached thirty, which she was sure of. From the four years she had spent here as a studnet, of course the Slytherin had seen countless of people lose themselves in the maze that was Hogwarts. "Yes, that includes some of your American friends... and a couple of curious firsties," she said while nodding. "But don't worry! I'm a good tour guide, I promise." There was absolute a negative chance they'd get lost, for Vivian had mentally mapped the staircases and corridors years before.

Reading? "Don't you have at least a couple of books inside that red car you guys live in?" Surely they had placed an expansive extension charm on that thing if they were to harbour thousands of students and staff members. Considering the Ilvermorny students didn't spend classes with them, Vivian assumed they held lesson inside it, so it was a little bit odd that they held lessons in there but not books. "It's probably really cold now, but I doubt you'd hate it here during spring time. Should check our Grounds for when flowers bloom." The blonde didn't really like the cold, either. Her nose turned red a lot in low temperatures, which made it look like a tomato stuck onto her pale face.

"So what do you have inside the car, if not a library?" It had to at least have cool features in there!

Your American friends. Huh, such a good labelling.

But he nodded when Vivian mentioned about being a good tour guide. "Okay then. You lead the way." Evan said. Now he wondered why some of his fellow Ilvermornies mentioned about Hogwarts students were kind of rude and unwelcome because so far, the students that he had met were kind of nice. Maybe they're just being stereotypical again.

He chuckled at her question. "We do, actually. But the collection is not as great as the library, I supposed." It was a beetle, after all. "Besides, I am curious about the library's here." So a visit would be nice, right? "Really? I'm looking forward for it." Not only because the Ilvermorny boy was so over the cold, but also Spring is his favorite season.

"It's just the usual like the dorm where we sleep in, the hangout spot, but we also have trampoline room and coffee place there." Evan explained what's actually inside the beetle.

With the permission of the Ilvermorny boy, Vivian beamed and bounced. See? Someone trusted her enough, and it meant a lot to the Slytherin especially since he was a foreigner. "Yes, of course," the blonde said as she began walking to the direction of the moving staircases. "I won't fail you." Just for assurance. Seriously. She considered herself a pro with these staircases. Four years here, of course she'd know by now. Despite the attitude they'd seen from the Americans when they joined them during the Welcoming Feast, the blonde was wrong to judge them as a whole. Sure, the students she saw them were kinda ridiculous, but Evan didn't even seem to be bad at all.

Ah, so not much variety. Vivian understood that. Having the same old all the time was pretty boring, she'd have to admit. "Our library's huge," she said. There was no other adjective to describe it but huge. "The number and variety of books offered there won't let you down, I suppose." Plus, there was a book maze and that was kinda fun. She didn't always visit the library -- it was exactly her first go-to spot in the castle -- so perhaps she'd just go with him today and visit the librarian. "That's you and me, both," the Slytherin said regarding the 'looking forward to spring' comment. She liked now, of course, but Spring was still the real deal.

A TRAMPOLINE? "You serious?" Vivian said once the boy mentioned about the bouncy thing. "That's so cool! Have you tried jumping? How high could you jump on it?" She was asking the real questions here. She silently wished her common room would have one, too.

Evan just smiled as the girl led him to the library and mentioned about not going to fail him. He was thankful that Vivian found him and did not mind to accompany him to go there because she mentioned about not having something to do around here. Putting his hands on pocket, the Ilvermorny guy followed her where to go. "Yeah, I also kind of need some references for this assignment. I'm sure that I could find them in library here." He said.

Everyone loves spring, okay? The weather became warmer after a long cold winter days, the flowers started to blossom and the trees became green again. "My uncle did remind me about how the weather here could be colder than back to America, though." Mostly in Philly, his home, and Massachusetts where his school is located. During in here, Evan had never left without a thick jacket because of the weather. "I rarely hang out there, honestly. That place mostly is often occupied by the cool kids, and I am not one of them." Like those Thunderbird-Wampus students.

Well... she couldn't say she wasnt relieved by being knocked out of the competition. Because she was. That wasn't where her anger came from. It was still bubbling up every time she replayed the scene from earlier. Having some food on her stomach didn't seem to be making much difference, either. It just kind of gave her more fuel for anger.

If she was a REAL hot head she'd start blasting holes in the walls as she went, but the girl still had the wand gripped in her hand. The occasional spark flew from the tip, but nothing serious. Not to her anyway. The blonde was a solid ball of rage at the moment and nothing seemed to be quelling that.

Gaston just wanted to be alone right now! Suffice it to say, he would not be attending dinner in the Great Hall tonight. If he got hungry later, he could always just have a house elf bring food to his office. He couldn't face the students, not after that... well that, and he was liable to go off if he had to be around Hawthorne right now. How could she - how could anyone allow that?!

The images of the challenge still replayed in his mind... students crying,
innocent people freezing in cages... He shook his head, but it did nothing to clear his thoughts. He rushed through the corridors as quickly as he could,
hoping he could get back to his office before anyone saw him. He rounded a corner, stopping short of crashing into someone. His heart dropped when he saw who it was. "Dora..."

A part of him wanted to turn back in the direction he came as fast a he could,
but he willed himself to stay. He would have to face her wrath sooner or later... not that he blamed her. She had every right to be angry - they all did! He sighed, bracing for the barrage of harsh words that was sure to come.

Dora's head jerked up as the person came into her personal space. Not the time to do that, you see. Her lips pulled back in a snarl as she realized it was her Head of House. "How DARE they touch my friend? Did you know about this? Did you know any of this?" she spat the words at him as she tucked her wand into its holster strapped to her wrist. "And why didn't anyone stop that mess that was happening in the stands, Professor?! Why do the Americans get away with threats and violence and all of that?"

Hogwarts students were held to a higher standard, of course. That much was obvious. But this... all of this was so... bizarre and wrong and it made Dora's heart hurt. The blonde girl then... kind of crumbled. Her face fell, tears streamed, and then it was as if the mere thought of standing was impossible. Her legs gave and she sat down hard on the stone floor, face in her hands. The small frame of her body shook as she sobbed. From anger, rage, sadness... a lot of emotions.

Flying this way - flying that way - Herjenmie was on a mission. A delivery mission!

Zooming a bit erratically through the skies - searching for an open window to get to his hooman person. Hoooo... Hoo? Hoo!

He'd found an opening - and now he was searching between these stone walls...and - aha! A-hoo! The hooman girl he was looking for! And a hooman male! Not someone Herj was looking for, but he was there too!

"Hoooo!" He landed next to the hooman girl - who was on the ground now too? "Hoo?" He released the package from his talon grip now that it was on the ground and hopped off it. Yoohooooo, hooman! "Hoo!"

Did either of them have treats for him? Like a chocolate frog????? Chocolate frogs were GREAT.

Gaston took an automatic step back, and the snarl on Dora's face made him shrink back even farther. For one wild moment, he half-expected her to aim a hex at him, and his hand twitched, ready to reach for his wand at a moment's notice. But she was putting her wand away; that was a good sign. The angry words came as no surprise, but somehow they weren't as biting as he'd expected. Maybe the anger and guilt he already felt at himself had dulled their effect. He sighed sadly. "I didn't, honest!" he replied, the look in his eyes underscoring the sincerity of his words. "I didn't have a hand in planning that challenge, so I only knew parts of it and that..." His voice trailed off, but her forced himself on. "...that wasn't one of them. If I'd known what they planned to do to those people, I would've-" He started to say he would've stopped it, but maybe that was expecting a bit too much of himself. "Well, I can't promise I would've stopped it - you know how useless I am at standing up to people - but I would've fought it as hard as I could."

Her next set of questions had him baffled. "I don't know," he said. It was the only honest answer he could give. He thought about it for a minute. Why had no one intervened? After a long pause, he added, "I think we were just too shocked by everything that had happened to react." Or at least that was why he hadn't reacted; he couldn't speak for the other professors.

All Gaston could do was watch with wide, panic-stricken eyes as Dora - proud, strong Dora - crumpled to the floor sobbing. A million thoughts, each worse than the last, ran through his mind. Was she ill? Should he send for River? What should he do? Instinct took over, and he knelt beside her. He doubted there was much he could do to make her feel better, but he couldn't just leave her this way! "That's it... let it out," he said softly. "you have every right to be upset." He was struggling not to cry himself,but he forced his own feelings to the back of his mind as much as he could. This girl needed him to stay strong right now!

What the-? Gaston's dark head jerked up just as an owl landed nearby. Go away, owl! This isn't a good time! he thought angrily, but he supposed the bad timing wasn't the owl's fault. It was just doing its job. "Shh..." he hushed the bird as it started hooting. He reached out to pet the owl, wishing he had a treat to give it. Or maybe he did! A quick search of his jacket pocket turned up a leftover chocolate frog from the challenge. Did this owl like chocolate frogs?

Dora heard the hooting before she really registered what that meant. She was kind of busy crying and making a scene at the moment. Ahem. Of all the times for an owl to arrive. But luckily it seemed Marchand was handling it at the moment. So for now, the blonde girl quieted her sobs (she was still crying though) and listened to the man.

He had no idea. No part in that challenge... Okay. That didn't surprise her, really. It seemed like there was a LOT that the Headmistress wasn't telling people and well... the less people knew then the less someone could be tipped off, I guess. But that was too rational a thought for her to cling to at the moment. She was hell bent on being dramatic and such.

"It wasn't the things I had to do in the challenge that made me mad, sir. Or the climate... or anything other than seeing my best friend, my sister in a cage like an animal. Frozen nearly through." The girl paused and looked up at him. "She grew up on the streets... she has slept out in the snow, but she would be willing to do anything to help me and they took advantage of a girl to make a challenge more dire. I don't care for that."

Then... her eyes fell on the little owl... and the parcel with her name on it. Silently reaching she picked the letter up and began to read. Annnnnnd sobs started coming immediately. Loud ugly sobs.

Perfect timing, owl. PERFECT. TIMING.

Gaston continued petting the little owl as he waited for Dora to calm down. Normally animals had a soothing effect on him, but the owl's presence did nothing to dull his heightened emotions. He broke off a piece of the chocolate frog he found in his pocket and offered it to the owl. At least the bird would be happy!

Dora's sobs gradually quieted, and he half-expected her to lash out at him. He wouldn't blame her at all if she did; he probably deserved to be lashed out at for his blind faith in this challenge, in Hogwarts itself, in Headmistress Hawthorne. Her next words wounded him even more deeply than if she had lashed out at him. Bright blue eyes widened in shock; he had no idea Miss Tyler had such a difficult past! A vision formed in the back of his mind of the Ravenclaw girl sleeping in a cold snowy alley, just like the little match girl in the story that affected him so much as a child. He bowed his head, squeezing his eyes shut against the haunting thought, and he had to bite his lip hard to keep it from trembling.

"I-I understand," he said once he'd found his voice. Wow, that came out wrong! He ran a hand through his dark hair, causing it to stick up at odd angles, and tried again. "I mean... I couldn't possibly understand how you feel right now, not without going through the same thing myself, but I understand why you're angry and I don't blame you. I'm angry too, probably more than I have any right to be..." He felt betrayed by the school he served, and if he felt that way, he couldn't even begin to imagine how the poor girl felt!

Gaston watched with concern as Dora sobbed again. Did the letter she received contain bad news? Or was it something else? He wanted to hug her, but he didn't dare touch her right now. He heaved a sad, shuddery sigh. "Dora, I know we've had our differences, but I do care about you," he said, "And I'm here for you. I just wish there was more I could do to help." Somehow he didn't think the sentiments would be much appreciated right now, but he just wanted her to know that.