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The Arena
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Klaus didn't care much about where he was Klaus pulled out his wand and stood back from one of the wooden dummies. How incanted are these things? Klaus smirked. The thought of breaking these things was amusing to him. He'd practice until one of them broke. "Incendio." One of the dummies caught fire. He shifted his body to face another wood figure. "Reducto." Hmm. The figure didn't explode like usual, instead it just flew backwards. After a few seconds it flew back into place. He wasn't surprised. This place was enchanted, he was just slightly annoyed. Already bored of this he tried casting without speaking. It was a technique he'd been trying to learn for awhile. It was usually hit or miss and sometimes the spells rebounded and hit him. But it was worth the risk. Just in case the spell did rebound he started with something that wouldn't injury him. 'Wingardium leviosa.' Klaus director all his attention onto one of the dummies. It started to lift up a little before quickly dropping back down. |
With the issue of space around the castle, storage for large volumes of things proves harder to find. The arena has become the resting place for all the decor the students have worked tirelessly on for the upcoming ball. The date draws closer and there's no doubt anticipation in the air. What could possibly go wrong? All the decorations being torn apart, torched, or otherwise made useless. Months of work now looking more like a chaotic force of nature had swept through the room with a vengeance. Who would commit such an atrocity just days before the ball? WHO would try to tarnish what was to be the THE event of the school year??? Doesn't matter now, what's done is done. The decor is useless. No ball for you. Someone's gonna get it. |
At some point, it might occur to Phoebe to use the Arena for training and spellwork, but at the moment, she liked to sneak in and check on the ball decorations. They were just so PRETTY and made her feel like she was in her own personal fairy tale. And she'd helped make this fairy tale, although mostly just in liberal application of glitter. But thiiiiiiiis? This was a nightmare! The decorations looked like a troll had taken his big mean clumsy feet to them, and everything was a mess. WHAT? "MURDER. SCENERY MURDER. THERE'S BEEN A CRIME!" |
Ilya was passing by, on his way to grab a bite, when someone yelling - no, declaring? There has been a murder. He excitedly stepped into the arena to find Fefe, classes together and they had the feast together too, in the middle of a terrible mess. Wasn't this where they were supposed to have the ball??? Ilya ran in, turning as he ran to see the hall from all angles. "Oh noooooo. This is a disaster," He mumbled. Were they going to let the students clean this up? He was NOT cleaning the French castle, 'scuse him. This was his first thought and big worry at the moment. Never mind the murder claim. "Where's the body?!!" He asked the girl, he would totally solve a crime, by the way. No one could convince him otherwise. |
Lost again - though he would NEVER admit to it - Eiji found himself wandering the third floor MOSTLY to try and relocate the Bellefeuille common room. For reasons. For whatever reason, learning the layout of Beauxbatons had proven impossible. Maybe it was because he hated it here and therefore had a mental block on it. Yeah. Probably that. So he happened to be For one He could put on a sad face for her when he At no point did he consider Phoebe being the one to have done all this and he didn't know this other first year any better than one of the swirls in the marble flooring so there was no accusation there either. "Are you okay?" he asked Phoebe exclusively after a bit as his hand moved to her shoulder but his slightly amused expression remained trained on the 'crime scene' before them. "....some of this damage was caused by fire..." he noted with a certain familiarity in his tone. |
Phoebe grabbed Ilya's hand and clung to it tightly, because now they were co-detective investigators in this hideous crime. And because she was a little scared, but only a very very little. "The decorations, Belly-rose. The decorations are murdered. Time of death..." She glanced around for a clock. "Recent." And then Eiji was there, looking a little too pleased with himself. "I'm fine, but the decorations are murdered. And I think that we should look for clues. What's your alibi for..." She wrinkled her nose and held out a hand to touch a charred corner. "We need forensics!" |
She didn't hear the screaming. It was her desire to have another look at the ball's decorations, do a final count off and ensure it was all good before having the ball committee come in and move everything down to the Grand Ballroom that brought one Giselle Desmarais to the arena and what she saw there...oooohhhhh Merlin. There was the shrillest of shrieks, one that could curdle milk and get your blood running cold. A murder? Ah, but the little girl did not know how right she was. The Headmistress's heart pounded furiously in her chest and for a moment her head began to spin. It was all too much. She couldn't...why would they....? It was enough to make someone faint--but not her. No. The shock was quickly replaced by a fury so all encompassing that it caused the woman to shake. "What 'ave you done????" She demanded, horror and anger vying for top spot. "You 'orrible children! I've 'ad enough! Zhis...zhis will NOT go unpunished!!! I want to know 'oo iz responsible and I want to know NOW. Where ar' zhe rest of you??? Did you do zhis on your own??" WHY WOULD THEY RUIN THE BALL?????? It had been months of planning!! Hardly thinking, the woman drew her wand and cast a sonorus. "MALACHI TRENT, COME GET YOUR STUDENTS!!" Before she did. He would hear here. It was loud enough. He would definitely hear her. |
Aesha heard the shouting (not because her ears were exceptional, but because it was quite loud). It took every bit of self restraint she had to wipe the smirk off her face before running towards the arena. She was breathless upon arrival (partially due to dramatic flair) and took a moment to take in the scene before her. It was not disappointing. "I KNEW IT!" she pointed a finger at the students inside. "I knew they were trying to sabotage our ball!" Not that Aesha had planned on attending the ball in the first place. It had presented the perfect opportunity to have the potions laboratory all to herself. Narrowing her eyes, she moved her finger to point at the one older student in the room [sweetpinkpixie]. "I bet it was his idea." Because they had some unfinished business. Some may call it petty revenge for an insignificant incident during rose garden yoga. Aesha called it Karma. |
Noble had been marking essays whilst supervising the potions lab, but he couldn't ignore that infernal noise coming from down the corridor. Shouting in a terrible hybrid Frenglish accent that could only be the Headmistress. Noble grumbled. Going on the year so far, that could only be aimed at one of his students...and Merlin only knew whether it was actually warranted or not. He gave nothing away as he strode towards the voice calling for Trent, and soon found himself at the duelling arena. As he came to a stop near the Ombrelune, it didn't take long to ascertain why the woman was so hysterical. The decorations for the ball had been pretty savagely damaged and/or destroyed. However, looking around the room, the Hogwarts students gathered hardly seemed the type to have done it. Eiji could occasionally have his stubborn moments, but if the distracted gossiping girls in his class earlier in the week were anything to go by, he'd gone out of his way to ask his girlfriend to go to the ball with him. And the Frenchwoman was mad if she thought a couple of first years could wreak this amount of damage, especially the stuff that looked torched. Many still struggled to set a burner alight in class. "And what proof do you have that it was one of our students, exactly?" Noble asked. |
When he spotted Aesha making a beeline for the arena, naturally, Luc followed. If there was something going on, he needed to know about it. He came to a halt beside her, just in time to hear her accusing the chaos on that one miserable kid from the snake house. And then the Potions bloke asked for proof and that was his cue. Calm as you like, he took a step forward. "I overheard him planning it," Luc piped up. "Last week, in the library when I was studying." His shoulders slumped, defeated, as he turned to his headmistress. Time for the sad boy act. "Je suis désolé, Mademoiselle Desmarais. This is all my fault. I should've reported it but I... I thought it was just some kind of sick joke..." |
"We didn't do this," Phoebe offered her free hand in a sort of shrug, since she was still holding tight to Ilya. Did they see the three of them? They were precious beans, and Noble would help them work it all out. Nothing bad would happen. "We're investigating who did this. Professor Noble is teaching us forensics, and we're looking for clues." She tucked herself in against Eiji as protection, pulling Ilya with her. "This boy is lying. I got here first, and I forgot my wand, so I didn't do it, and then Ilya came, then Eiji, so it wasn't Eiji. And the scorches are cold, so it's been a while and we had class, and this boy is a liar. I bet he did it. He has a liar face. I would know, because I'm a detective." She nodded emphatically. Also he was ugly and stupid and French. |
Eugenia had been just down the hall when she heard the yelling, especially the yelling done by her Headmistress. You know, she didn't really yell that much when there weren't Hogwarts students filling up her halls. The seventeen year old slid into the crowd casually, digging her pristine white teeth into a red apple as accusations started flying around. "I just saw a Hogwarts Student hurry around the corner with a bit of streamer sticking to her shoe. Blonde, I think she was." Definitely not French. Inspecting her apple for the next potential bite, Eugenia remained calm and watched the scene unfold. |
Did the Beauxbaton queen know how loud she was? Forget Trent, everyone heard it. And obviously Missa's curiosity got the better of her as she peeked inside. Her eyes immediately went WIDE at the scene. Everything and absolutely EVERYTHING was destroyed. And EIJI WAS BEING BLAMED FOR IT?? ... ... Frowning as the other frenchies started doing the same, Missa couldn't really keep her mouth shut when Professor Noble spoke too, "they have no proof, professor! he is making it up!" she chimed in, glaring at Luc. Besides if Eiji had done it, why would he still be at the scene of the crime?? How stupid were these Beaux kids??? Ugh. She glared some more as another one of them showed up - and became a very convenient witness. "I am coming from the same direction and saw no one!" |
What happened now? Malachi Neil Trent was clear across the castle On second thought, he’d run. Yes. Running built strong lungs. Good exercise it was. Clearly this was what he needed in his fitness routine. Malachi rounded the corner and bolted into the arena, having checked just about every room on the way there to even find the wom— O_____________O Running was a mistake. He should have gone the other way. What the Headmaster saw when he entered the room was enough to give him an instant and splitting headache. The look of horror on Desmarais’s face. The skepticism on Noble’s. Precious Bean #4 in the mix of his students (the man had come to learn nothing good came of finding First Years at the scene of the woman’s wrath) and French kids. “Just...just tell me none of you did it.” Maybe this was another of those accidents. He liked the sound of that. Innocent children in he wrong place at the wrong time. No more yelling needed happening. A man could dream. |
Professor Noble's lesson had clearly gotten to Phoebe's head and Eiji wasn't so sure that that was a good thing. He was just about to tell her that they needed to leave before someone accused them of this mess when low and behold...that very thing happened. And from the banshee also known as the Beauxbatons headmistress, no less. Bloody hell she was LOUD. Consider that smirk wiped clean of his face. And then there was that one Beauxbatons girl who he had already forgotten all about from the yoga incident in the rose garden...pointing the figure at him specifically. His nose wrinkled and brow furrowed as he glared at the girl's speculation. "...that's rich," he retorted with an eye roll so large it was a wonder they didn't go tumbling right out of their sockets. He had very little time to appreciate Professor Noble coming to his (their, he supposed) defense, because soon there was another Beauxbatons on the scene sputtering more falsities. And then Phoebe happened and even if he found some of her words humorous he was trying his best not to let it show. Instead he instinctively was pulling the Gryffindor behind him, and he supposed the boy she was clinging to as well, to form a sort of shield between them and these absurd accusations. Then Missa was here, and for a brief moment his stomach sunk because...well...it had only been last year that she had thought him capable of seducing and keeping her by use of love potion. So it was only reasonable, he would defend, that he jump to the conclusion that she assume the worst of him in this situation as well. Only she didn't. And maybe, just maybe, he fell in love a tiny bit more with her. "We didn't do it, headmaster," he hissed through grit teeth, his eyes NOT LEAVING these three Beauxbatons students who were CLEARLY the ones with something to hide. "But I but they know who did." His eyes narrowed a bit. "They know we didn't do it." What game were they trying to play here? Who were they covering for? Why be this petty over them being here? Gracious hosts his bum! How firm a grip did the French Ministry have on the use of Veritaserum? Just a couple sips of that and they would all have their answers. That thought prominent in his mind, his gaze briefly shifted to meet that of Professor Noble's. "I'll drink truth serum if I have to." |
It was all the woman could do not to pass out from rage, a rage that grew when her own students came and confirmed what she’d already believed. It was the Hogwarts students. Just listen to them trying to deny it all, blame it on her little lambs. No, this would not do. “I believe you ‘av your proof.” She said to the potions man. Witness statements. Her students had HEARD this plan before it was put into motion. “You must sink I am any silly fool, girl. It’s easy enough to claim you were ze first one ‘ere if everyone else showed up after you.” Who was to say how long she’d really been here and the first year Hogwartians had proven themselves particularly rotten this year. Raising wands at her. Setting her roses on fire. It was perfectly in line for them to now destroy her ball. Giselle turned on Malachi when he entered the room, ignoring the further protests of his own students. “LOOK what your horde haz done zhis time! I warned you, Malachi, I—“ Her sentence ended abruptly as first the Ravenclaw then the Slytherin tried denying the very witness statements her own had given. “Ar’ You calling my studentz liars?” Such insult to injury, they knew no end to their treacherous ways. “As if I will wait for agez to brew veritaserum just to know what I already know. We do not keep storez of such ‘ere. Zhere is no need when you aren’t around and it iz not permitted to be uzed against students or haz your Potionz Mazter not taught you potionz ethics?” It wouldn’t surprise her. There were many lessons these students seemed to not have learned. “I want zhem all dealt wiz quickly and severely.” She wanted them out, in truth. Before they could ruin anything else. ”I will ‘av an example made. Zhey will all ‘av detention. Every last one of zhem. Zhey will learn, one way or ze ozer zhat zhis iz not Hogwarts and zhey cannot do az zhey please.” |
He didn't bother sparing a glance toward the younger kids and their pointless protesting. Why were they even bothering? It was futile. Judging by her reaction, Desmarais had taken the bait and that's all that mattered. Oh, and would you look at that. Snake boy's girlfriend [Samia] was trying to defend his honour. When he felt the glare coming from her direction, Luc looked up to meet her gaze, the tiniest hint of a smirk flitting playfully across his lips for a fraction of a millisecond. It was a blink and you miss it moment. Keeping a straight face was proving to be a challenge, but Luc Vayssière welcomed any kind of challenge. An example made..... every last one of them in detention..... He would call this particular challenge a success. |
This was getting dire, and Phoebe's unwavering sense that good would prevail was starting to dim. If people didn't listen to you when you were telling the truth, then why even bother with it? She tried to inch her way toward the Headmaster, but Eiji firmly tucked her behind him and blocked her exit. "But forensics! Science! You can't accuse people of crimes with no proof! Eye witness testimony if terribly inaccurate." Plus they were dumb faced liars, so their testimony was just made up. "Can't you check our wands? I can go get mine, and Eiji has his, probly..." It was just lousy that their Headmistress was so unreasonable. Did that mean that she was raising an entire student body that was gonna be unreasonable too? She turned big blue eyes on the Headmaster. "Everyone was looking forward to the ball, sir. Why would we ruin it for them?" |
There might have been a hint of pride in Noble’s eyes as the young Gryffindor spoke. Phoebe had clearly taken her recent classes to heart. Checking their wands was a worthy suggestion, as was generally looking for clues. And whilst Eiji might have forgotten truth serum was fallible, Noble believed the boy when he said they hadn’t done it. “Ei incumbit probatio qui dicit, non qui negat,” Noble replied to the Headmistress in Latin, arms resting behind his back as he strode further into the room to inspect the evidence. “’The burden of proof is on the one who alleges, not upon the one who denies’…otherwise translated as innocent until proven guilty beyond all reasonable doubt.” As Chloe had already mention. His brow furrowed as he considered the accusations further. “It is all too easy to mistake or misinterpret what one has seen…as evidenced by the two directly conflicting accounts we already have. That is doubt enough.” A piece of streamer stuck to a shoe was hardly decisive evidence, and even if it was, that suggested that a potential perpetrator, whilst perhaps being a Hogwarts student, was currently not in this room. “And how do you explain a first year doing this much damage without a wand on her?” Or was the French Headmistress planning to conveniently overlook that point? Noble pursed his lips a moment, before adding a further point. “That is nothing to say about the complete lack of motive, of course.” Out of all the people in the room, it was probably fair to say he himself was one of the ones looking forward to the ball the least. Noble still considered it a terrible decision to host such an event on Valentine’s Day of all days. |
Nettie had been coming back from the library, having just finished a study session when she heard the commotion coming from the arena. The Headmistress really had a SHRILL voice on her, didn't she? She was becoming more and more thankful that she hadn't gone here - having to listen to that voice would have done her head in at this point in her academic career. As Nettie entered, she just caught the last bit of Phoebe asking why they would ruin the ball, and Noble going on about not accusing a first year without a wand. Wait, what? What on EARTH was going on here...her eyes took in the scene as she approached, running over Phoebe, Noble, Trent, Eiji, Missa, the Beauxbaton students...and then all the busted decorations. Slowly, pieces of the puzzle started to work together in the young Ravenclaw's brain. Her first instinct, of course, was to immediately run to Trent and tell him that whatever was going on, it was OBVIOUSLY the Beauxbatons students. They'd tried to frame them at the yoga class, and now this! She didn't trust them as far as she could throw them - which was not far. Duh. But she still wasn't exactly sure WHAT had happened, as it also reminded her a bit of the scene in the Ombrelune common room - and she was still not so sure a Beauxbaton student was behind that. That had been too...ANIMAL like.... So instead, she simply walked in and stood quietly next to the Headmaster, ready to assume Prefect duties if necessary. |
No, he had NOT forgotten, Professor Noble. He knew the loophole with truth serums where people spoke the truth that they believed with every fiber of their being to be true. But that was just it, he KNEW these Beauxbatons students were just blowing hot air and didn't actually believe this rubbish they were spewing. R U B B I S H. He rarely allowed himself to get angry, like TRULY angry, because it was far to exhausting releasing all that negative energy and just much easier to not be bothered by anything. Not really care what other people thought about him and all that. Though when there were real tangible consequences on the horizon, like this banshee headmistress was demanding, then his blood started to boil. Not only was she insulting him, but she was doubting the integrity and capabilities of their Potions Master to educate them. "...actually, Headmistress Desmarais. That is precisely what we are saying," he spoke calming but poignantly at the woman. Oh great. Trinetta was here too. Just standing there. What purpose did THAT even do other than to fuel this woman's accusations further? |
What was all this commotion? Lars had been downstairs, but as anyone in this building knew by now, Headmistress Demarais had a voice that carried. Unfortunately, it was not immediately clear from the second floor what was happening. Now, here he was. And what a sight to behold. His features schooled into something a tick beyond mild concern, he looked between all the people here. "Zhere iz also zhe 'ogwarts track record to conzider," he said, his face already scrunching in distaste at the British students. "Or 'ave we all forgotten what 'appened in zhe Observatoire?" Hogwarts was nothing but a strain on school resources. |
He believed them, he honestly did. Being around his students this long--save the First Years but he'd grown accustomed to them as well--this just...didn't seem like something they'd do. Not the ones present anyway. He could think of a few who might have thought this could be a funny prank to put the French in their places but one of those had come to him for help GETTING a date for this bloody ball. Nothing was adding up. Those witness statements she was harping on? The ones from her students that directly contracted his, he didn't know what to make of them. On the one hand, he didn't want to bring insult by labeling anyone a liar--wrong time, Rasting, shhhh--he also couldn't and wouldn't believe they were telling the truth. "Noble is right." And thank Merlin the man had spoken up while Malachi gathered his thoughts. He spared a glance to the Ravenclaw Prefect when she entered, half wondering if she knew anything about this but doubting it as much as he doubted any of the others did. "Innocent until proven guilty. I won't put my students in detention just to make you sleep better tonight." Bold words for the man borrowing a castle but it was true. "A trial, then. A fair one, with testimonies from both sides." Couldn't call it fair then tell her her students were excluded...slippery slope as that turned out to be. "That's how you usually handle disciplinary matters, isn't it? Let's not skip that necessary step this go around. If there isn't enough evidence, that's that, we drop this. No more." No comment on what happened in the Astro Tower. There was STILL no proof that was his students either. This way, the man felt slightly more confident. If they didn't do it, there would be no evidence. If there was no evidence, there was no conviction. "Summon your witnesses and suspects. We'll do the same." |
Just sliding in here with brief mention of Eiji and everyone in general Standing up in the bleachers, a book in his hands, Ewan couldn’t help but stare down, slightly aghast, into the arena as everything unfolded in front of him. Chaos was left, right and centre as Professors argued amongst themselves, the decorations for the ball lay asunder. It really wouldn’t have surprised Ewan if someone from Hogwarts had burned the entire place to the ground but then again, it wouldn’t surprise him if one of those sleazy little prissy French students set everything ablaze and blamed a Hogwarts student, such was their petty resentment. He may not have been standing there the whole time but he knew that some of his friends would never do this (Eiji) and if he had to step in to defend them, not that they needed it, he would. |
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