Lady Helena was acutely aware of the general sentiments shared by the spirits within the castle in regard to their current circumstance. The renovations were bringing with them an onset of unease. Perhaps this meeting of the ghosts was long overdue. Were the others sharing such qualms over the matter? She could only hope as much.

So it was with a sense of uncertainty that the ghost of Ravenclaw Tower floated into the Spirit Room. Surely the others would be arriving momentarily. Ever poised, she clasped her hands in front of her as she looked around in anticipation of the other arrivals.

Of course. It would be just his luck that he would have to be alone with HER in the spirit room while they waited for the other two to arrive. The Baron's lips were pursed tightly as he floated into the room, staying on the opposite end of the room and as far as spiritually possible from Helena. He nodded curtly at her and cleared his throat, clasping his hands behind his back. "Helena," he greeted her gruffly.

Right. He had more important things to worry about. Like these strange vibrations he had been feeling lately. Something was off...and the mortals were likely behind it, as they usually were. Heavy sigh.

The Friar couldn't say he was pleased with the happenings around the school, but one things was for certain he was worried and with that worry he headed towards the spirit room. He heard whispering through the castle of ghosts and he didn't know what to believe.

"I hope I'm not late." Swooping in he settled near the Ravenclaw ghost and nodded towards the Baron.

So...Potions class. It was not going well and on top of it all Josh really needed to take a leak. So...while abandoning his tablemate to deal with the cauldron that was about to explode - who said Gryffindors lacked a sense of self-preservation? - Josh was bolting out of the room and towards the bathroom. Problem with the dungeons being dark and poorly lit was that the sixth year almost always managed to get himself lost. Yeah yeah, as a sixth year he really shouldn't be getting SO lost in Hogwarts, but cut a guy a little slack. It was only his third term here and he did not really have much purpose other than class to be down here. He used to but, well, anyway. Complicated teenager stuff.

Turning and nearly walking right through someone (please don't have been the Bloody Baron, please don't have been the Bloody Baron), Josh came to a dead stop and looked around.

"...this is not the bathroom. The loo. The bathroom loo. Restroom. Toilet. Loo."

Look. He was TRYING with the Britishisms still.

“It most certainly is not” Nick assured the boy as he too glided into the room to join his fellow gloomy-looking ghosts. Though he still thought they should have chosen a different place to have this talk. He hosted fun death-day parties in this room. It was not a place to have a serious conversation.

Alas, he was here, and so was a student.

Speaking of, “I think the students have started to notice something is not right around the castle too” he stated as he glided toward the Friar - before turning around to pass the young Gryffindor in the room a friendly smile.

"Of course they've noticed - they'd have to be completely daft to miss it," the Baron replied with a slight eye roll as Nicholas stated the obvious. If that was all they were here to talk about, he could leave. They all KNEW something was amiss - but what to DO about it was the real problem.

Speaking of problems...

The Baron turned and narrowed his ghostly eyes at the youngster who had so rudely barged into their meeting. "Quite right it isn't. Move along now, child. This is a private meeting," he told him gruffly. Perhaps Nicholas had been right and this HADN'T been the best place to meet.

It was difficult to miss the clanking of chains, and Lady Helena found herself once again wishing that he’d have disposed of them once and for all. She could only assume they were hardly comfortable and there really was no need to keep dragging them around. Furthermore, the distance he kept had not escaped her notice, but rather than to draw attention to it, her ladyship merely nodded in acknowledgement of his arrival.

"You are quite on time, Alfred," she said kindly, turning swiftly in anticipation of Nicholas’ arrival only to note that it was not his arrival, but that of one of his Gryffindors. She tightened her clasp of her hands, relaxing only slightly with Nicholas’ arrival just behind him.

Though this was not a conversation the student need hear, there was little time left to fix things lest circumstances grow increasingly dire and Lady Helena hoped they could come to an agreement sooner rather than later. She spared a stiff glance over at the student, finding herself to be grateful for the Baron’s warnings.

"Regardless, matters are only growing worse," she reminded the Baron. Surely if the staff had noticed, they would have put an abrupt end to the new changes.

Oh. Prickly. And he wasn't just talking about the way the hair was standing up on the back of his neck and his skin goose bumping more than a little. A LOT more.

.......er.......

Smiling at Sir Nicholas as his house ghost floating on by, Josh found himself speaking despite the Bloody Baron's warning. What was the ghost going to to do him anyway? Josh wasn't the sort to go out of his way to defy authority, in fact he was the sort to entirely too easily fall in line, but just in this instance...well...oops? "You all talking about Peeves being on the fritz?" asks bluntly while his warm chestnut brown eyes glanced from ghost to ghost.

Who was daft? Perhaps this Gryffindor.

"I mean...I didn't actually SEE him in the trophy room the other day but he would be the sort to just ransack a place. Right? And the Charms classroom. Pranking a professor and all that. You know...pretty surprised he hasn't tried to do something to all the new and totally unnecessary additions to the castle. Seem like prime pickings for a poltergeist like him, you know?" His eyes drifted over to the Baron once again. "He'll just...knock it off if you tell him to, right?"

Gryffindors spoke too much, did they know?

Did Joshua Miller know? Probably not. Nick had seen him rambling off a lot in the six years the young boy had been around - which is why the ghost was not at all surprised when he once again started talking even after being told this was a private meeting.


However, Nick wasn’t all that bothered because what was the point of hiding anything anymore. “No, Joshua, this is not about Peeves” he said, somber in tone, “though - hmmmm - maybe Peeves can be told to help stop these renovations”

“though” he sighed dramatically, “everything might become more chaotic then, and things are rough enough with all our friends trying to leave this place”

"Stop all the renovations?" He knew they needed stopped, he knew things weren't going well, but things were looking so nice around the castle and all the trouble the staff and even students were going through to make the changes. Friar hated to see it all go to waste.

"Young man are you positive you didn't see peeves?" If he thought it was peeves and someone had seen peeves maybe they could put a stop to it right there, but he knew deep down it wasn't. They had a different problem on their hands, "Has anyone talked to the headmaster about any of this?"

Though the poltergeist was not above such petty displays of unrest, Lady Helena dismissed the idea immediately. If Peeves had part in this, certainly the whole castle would have known as he would have declared it from the rooftops. Her ladyship shook her head. The Friar should know better. "There is no use in entertaining unlikely theories," she warned him, floating a few meters further towards the back of the room.

Regardless of the Friar's personal qualms in regard to the new decor, Nicholas spoke of the truth. If the unrest continued, any hopes of keeping the others from leaving would come to naught. She turned, looking at the Ghost of Gryffindor House now. He was the best suited to speak to Malachi. "Let us not make matters any worse by enlisting the help of Peeves. Rather, we must speak with the Headmaster. Would you mind doing so?"

The Baron nodded in agreement at Helena's suggestion about not involving Peeves. Yes, the young Gryffindor boy - who still hadn't gotten the hint to leave - was right that the Baron was the only one who could really control that brat, but this didn't seem to be linked to him. Could Peeves be annoying and borderline dangerous? Of course. But this was overtly dangerous even for him, and he doubted after all these years the poltergeist would be stupid enough to push his buttons like that. "I can talk to him just to be sure, but I agree - this doesn't seem to be linked to him," he nodded in general agreement to the group.

"I agree. Trent must be notified. Mortals cannot feel the...disruption that seems to have fallen over the castle as we can," the Baron found himself agreeing with Helena yet again as she brought it up. And certainly Nicholas should be the one to do it. Trent was the Head of House, so it was basically his job, yes?

Oh? OOOOOH? Where was the popcorn?!

Just as Josh was about to open his mouth to respond to the Fat Friar that...yes...he was absolutely certain he hadn't seen Peeves when the Grey Lady came in with a stunner. Like...if she had a bat then her bludger hit would have at least knocked the Fat Friar off his current flight path. You know, if the four house ghosts ever played quidditch. Contrary to image, though that was changing around here these days now that he was much more open about his music, he was not a great fan of quidditch buuuuuuuuuuut he would totally be down for that match.

"So...you guys KNOW it isn't Peeves?" he asked while shooting the Fat Friar a questioning look because, well, WHY would the Hufflepuff house ghost of all of them want to lie or pretend otherwise??? "How do you know it's not Peeves? Why do you think its the renovations?" Yes, Joshua Alphonse Miller was still here and no he could not take a clue. "I don't think...the headmaster...is going to take your word over just a hunch or a feeling. Just..not the vibe I get from him these days... like...if I were to go to him and say how it felt like there was someone or something watching all of us in the Trophy Room...he'd probably just blow me off and tell me to stop being so paranoid."

He couldn't really put his finger on it but the man did seem to want actions. Actions with direct consequences and visible evidence.

"...I think you guys are all gonna have to show him some hard proof." He glanced sideways at the Bloody Baron and decided that it might be best to move a bit closer to Sir Nicholas. "...is there...you know...is there anything I can do? Or, well, we can do? We meaning the royal we that is students."

Was that even how royal we's worked? Probably not.

The Friar was hoping they'd entertain the boy even if it was just that, to entertain him and not start panic in the school that something was going on. Though he enjoyed seeing the new things around the castle he knew it wasn't peeves. Peeves was so easily to blame though, it could be an easy way out even if it was just for the sight of the boy.

"I think it is time for you to head to your dorm young man." He glanced to the other ghosts and made his way towards the back. "Even if the unrest is causing some issues, I think it best not to fully upset the young students until we have spoken to the headmaster." He glanced towards the boy again.

Nick blinked. What even was the Friar saying?

Opting to ignore his fellow house ghost as well as the rambling Gryffindor young man, Nick’s eyes caught Lady Helena’s and he nodded, “Certainly. I will go find him and talk some sense into him” Hopefully it wouldn’t take much effort.

The old ghost turned around, eying the human next, “And Friar is right, Mr Miller. Think it’s time you go back to your dorm, and not lurk where you are not supposed to”

Had...the Fat Friar just implied that he was an easily upset-able young student? Which, to be fair, in some ways was true but this wasn't one of those times. Still...the message was clear (finally). Especially with Sir Nicholas chiming in after to mostly echo the Huffepuff house's ghost's suggestion.

You know...the one that the Bloody Baron had said all the way at the beginning of this meeting.

Still, he did feel a little disenchanted that none of the four seemed to want to listen to him AND that there was a refusal to allow student involvement. At least...for now?

"Okay...okay I get it..." he sighed while slipping his hands into his pockets. While this particular Gryffindor did not exactly have a ton of house pride, that still lay with Ilvermorny if it came down to it all, he was still...bothered by being sidelined. Forced into the spectator seat by a bunch of specters. "JUST...I mean...it's our school too. Us younger students. And...well...last term all we could do it just sit back and watch things happen around us and wait like sitting ducks for things to do...whatever they were going to do ... So...yeah..."

Anyway. Time to bolt. Before they told him again to get out.

But...leave it to the Gryffindor to find a cause and feel entitled enough to be proactive about it. JuSt So YoU kNoW.