Violet had finished with her backstage tasks and gotten into costume and makeup and was just cooling her heels backstage, waiting to go on and soaking it all in, when, inevitably, Healer Poppy arrived. She'd heard a rumor that the pesky woman had left Hogwarts, but she knew better to believe anything now unless she confirmed it with her own eyes, so she was not surprised to see her there, trying to take over everything as usual. She stood back, out of the way, and kept a suspicious eye on her, because she seemed to be trying to keep something hidden behind her back, though Violet couldn't quite see what. Violet felt a lot more confident with a pirate sword in her hand--okay, it was a prop sword, not a real one, but it could probably still pack a good wallop in a pinch.

Suddenly, though, for no reason, a feeling of unease crept over Violet, escalating into feelings almost of--panic. Was she having an anxiety attack? But if she was, every single other person backstage seemed to be having one, too, all at the same time. Which was pretty improbable, if you thought of it--which was hard to do in the middle of an anxiety attack. Thinking, that is.

Violet had a sudden impulse to drop the sword and bolt out of the theatre and back to her dorm, but she managed to restrain herself. This wasn't natural, there had to be some...magic afoot. Dark magic! Violet was suddenly panicked again, and her nostrils tickled, too. What was that? There was some faint smell in the air that made her uneasy.

"There's something going on here, it's not natural that we should all be freaking out at once!" she called out, clutching her fake sword before her and looking around for danger.

At first, Kamran wasn't aware of anything untoward, and just flipped through his programme a couple of times before accepting he'd read all there was to read. Not that that was an issue; soon after he closed the programme, it became evident that the play was about to start. Kamran settled back, ready to watch, only for a small paper owl to suddenly fly across his line of sight as it approached Gabi Recard.

Intrigued, he watched as she read the message, all the while vaguely aware of a rising discomfort, an agitation, a racing of the heart. Then less of a vague awareness, more a complete preoccupation. Kamran hadn't felt true panic before, but he knew fear and anxiety and could only liken this to those feelings, only worse, and quickly worsening. He took a deep, steadying breath, tried to tell himself that the fear was unfounded, that there wasn't news of death, doom, and apocalypse in the note Gabi was reading, that his soaring heart rate was-...

... too late. As the feeling mounted, it began to drown out any and all logic. The deputy headmistress stalked off, and Kamran automatically pushed to his feet and made to follow. Wait around idly while the world maybe ended around him? No thanks. He manoeuvred his way out of the row with a sudden burst of anxious energy, and headed away from the seating area, striding after Gabi like he wasn't getting ever more tempted to turn and sprint in the other direction, like his breathing wasn't getting more erratic by the second. He didn't make it all that far before...

... Poppy? ... And her candles. Calm was what they all needed, it seemed, but Healer Poppy? Healer Poppy was not. No. No no."Get away from those students." Whether or not she was behind this, Kamran suspected but didn't know for sure, and was hardly thinking clearly enough to logic it out. He only knew they had to deal with her, as soon as possible, or at least part her from her bag of tricks.

All of the shouts and sudden panicked commotion was NOT helping. From Healer Poppy showing up and giving orders and now trying to hand out.. were those.. candles?! The calming ones that had been put around the entire castle? It had been the candles all along and not the bread, the deliciously yummy warm bre- no, no, Lia get a grip! No, bread and NO candles..

Dahlia shook her head trying to clear away the fogginess and the panic but it was all no use. She had only been trying to help calm her 'twinny' and help get Lisa up off the floor before someone stepped on her. How had THAT turned into all of THIS?!

Worried blue eyes took in the panic on Remy's face and Lisa sprawled on the floor. All she could hear was the obvious panic rising in everyone around her. How could she calm down now?! There was no way she could get on the stage and preform when she couldn't remember her lines! Lines she had perfected weeks ago.

Why couldn't she breath? It was getting harder and harder to breath. There was a tightness in her chest and the floor was swaying beneath her feet. This couldn't be right. Trying to peek around the curtains didn't do anything to help her sudden fear either, not even when she spotted her siblings and cousins or Tadhg. They all looked like they were freaking out too, which only ADDED to her own panic. She needed to get to them!

Lia tried to move away from the stage as best she could but each step, each breath hurt take. This was all too much. All she wanted to do now was get to her people.. but now.. now she couldn't find them! She tangled her fingers in the front of her own costume just so she could have a grasp on.. something..

Stumbled steps where still being taken but where exactly she was headed, she didn't even know anymore.

She fell in slow motion. Lisa didn’t think those things happened and that these things only happened in movies. But theory debunked. It did happen in real life too. As she fell, she watched several things happen around her. Ivy was hoisted higher up into the air by the line, Lia reached out to her (but their hands missed), Misa went after Ivy, Remy was crying, Kale was saying that it was really hot (it was really hot back here), and chaos happened around them.

Her body gently hit the ground as she fell/flopped. It was a soft thud save for her hands slapping the wooden floor. They tingled from the impact and she closed her hands, balking them into little fists before extending her fingers out to stretch them. “Owie….” That would certainly be a bruise later. Then the Headmaster told them to get to their places. GET TO PLACES?! No way, Jose. Lisa just wanted to wallow in the sinking awful feeling…. she needed a hug… Where was her older brother? Noah would always be there for her? Her bottom lip wobbled as she remembered that he wasn’t at school. Where was Evan? And Maya? She had to find them! But…. She looked up at the adults talking and students panicking. Her warm, dark eyes stopped on Remy’s tearful ones.

She couldn’t let her friend cry but she couldn’t find the strength to find the boulder of anxiety and panic resting upon her back- pinning her down.

Violet’s comment did snap her semi-back to the present just to then hear Healer Poppy’s words about saving them arrive. And then more Professors were here… phew! Her heart continued to race. Tears welled up in her eyes at her inability to get up and fight the panic- this awful mood. “How can you save US!” Poppy made things worse!

Think…. Lisa. Thiiiink. She hated feeling so hopeless and stuck…. “UGH!!!” she shrieked with tears of frustration streaming down her face. In a half-panicked and half frustrated state at her inability to calm down, she started flicking her legs and arms on the floor, flailing like a fish out of water mixed with a toddler throwing a terrifying temper tantrum. She looked up to Lia who had her arms outstretched to help her out and she took her hand to stand but then Lia wasnt there anymore! Huh! Where had she gone?!

Lisa had to think clearly which was easier said than done. The Ravenclaw tried to put things practically in her mind. Okay so the ground didn’t hurt T H A T much… BUT her panicking made everything hurt SO MUCH more. However the need to find Lia propelled her to stand. No one gets left behind. Part of the cast and crew, part of their ship… their friends…..

She first got to her knees and then placed a foot on the ground. Closing her eyes, she bit her lip, forcing herself to apply weight before standing fully. “Lia!” she glanced around her, searching for her friend before seeing her make a bee line for her own friends and family. That was when she spotted her own friends and BROTHER! She had to get to them but she couldn’t leave the cast behind. She took a deep breath and turned her attention towards Healer Poppy who were offering the candles with the calming thing in them. Even though she didn’t trust Poppy, she wanted this feeling gone so maybe… maybe she’d be calmer holding a candle. Maybe then she could figure out things… She swallowed her pride and her own thoughts. The candle was a safe option.

Lisa made a beeline for the Healer. Her eyes were red and her cheeks were tearstained. “You can help?” she asked, reaching for a candle. “Please.”

Norman had been backstage with the rest of the stage crew the whole time, doing some last minute checks of the lines and lighting when he noticed Healer Poppy. It took all the self control he had not to roll his eyes at that gratingly perky voice. Funny, when last he checked, Malachi was in charge of this play, not her. He shot her a look that said in no uncertain terms that he did not appreciate her ordering the students around, but before he could say anything about it, disaster struck… Gaeltheos having a panic attack, the elder James girl shoving the younger Nam, Grimm in the air, Wolff on the floor, McCarthy running onstage at the wrong time, and…

Panic. Overwhelming panic gripped him. At first, he thought he was just nervous because everything was going wrong or because he’d never done a play before, but the panic didn’t subside. It only grew stronger. This was clearly no pre-play jitters! The last time he felt panic like this was seventeen years ago, the night he received the injury that ended his Auror career. His heart raced, and his normally impassive blue-green eyes were wide and panic-stricken as they darted around the backstage area. Suddenly he had an overwhelming urge to run away, but instead he did what he always did: bottle up his emotions to do what must be done.

If it was only one or two students panicking, Norman could’ve chalked it up to stage fright, but the fact that it seemed to be affecting all of them, combined with his own feelings of panic, told him that something was up… and he had a pretty good idea who was behind it! There was the tiniest sense of relief peeking through the panic as Malachi, Gabi, and Kamran turned up and appeared to draw the same conclusion he did. And it seemed Blackthorne had come to the same conclusion as well. “RIght you are, Miss Blackthorne,” he said, nodding.

His eyes darted from the students to Poppy, then to her bag, and an idea formed in his mind. If she wouldn’t go quietly, they’d have to resort to more drastic measures. He turned to his colleagues, speaking very quietly so as not to alert the students or Poppy, “If we can get that bag away from her, we may find proof that she caused this.”Then they could inform the Board of Governors while they were here in the audience. Not wanting to waste any time, he aimed his wand and cast, Accio!



Heath paid little attention to the inspiring words from Teddy, Ivy, and Kale, respectively. The words rang false and hollow. If he was really ready, good-looking, talented, and whatever other good things they said, why was he playing a background character? He figured he was too old and too tall to play John, Michael, or one of the Lost Boys and lacked the comedic timing to play Smee, but he didn't understand why he'd been passed over for Hook and Mr. Darling. He'd replayed his audition over and over in his head, trying to figure out where he went wrong. Even if he believed the words of encouragement, his time was better spent getting into character. His role may be smaller than a chizpurfle, but he was still determined to give it as much gravitas as possible!

Heath had decided that his pirate character was a former Lost Boy who'd been cast out and found his way into Hook's crew. He thought Hook was an incompetent buffoon, but he stayed because he hated Peter Pan even more. It wasn't hard for him to adopt his character's demeanor of thinly veiled disdain, especially when Healer Poppy arrived. He ignored the woman's orders because 1) she wasn't the director and 2) he wasn't supposed to go on for a while yet. He hung back, mentally rehearsing his lines, but it was getting harder and harder to concentrate.

What started as a nagging feeling in the pit of his stomach soon grew into a full-fledged panic attack. Merlin, what was wrong with him? He never got stage fright! He leaned against the wall, trying to calm his pounding heart and rapid breathing, but his fear only grew with each passing second. He needed to get out of here! He'd already started to pace the floor when he suddenly remembered Claudine was probably sitting in the audience. He couldn't just leave without her! All he wanted to do was find Claudine and run away, but he couldn't. There was too much going on… other kids panicking, professors turning up, and… whatever Healer Poppy was doing. He was too frazzled to try to guess what! All he could do was stare helplessly at the professors. "Professors, please…" he begged,* nearly in tears, looking to the ones (Recard & Kazmi) who'd just come from the audience in particular. "The people in the audience… are they alright?"

Truly it was a stressful time. Try as she might, Claudine could not swallow the panic that threatened to make her wasn't to scream. It was a feeling she was all too familiar with; it was a feeling she loathed and it was a feeling she wished would end quickly. By now, the sixth year knew this panicky feeling had nothing to do with her as it was affecting everyone.

Her fists clenched, and through all the chaos, Claudine could hear shouts of Healer Poppy's name but most of all, she could hear Ash and Noah asking about Lisa. I don't... know what's going on," Claudine responded truthfully to Ash, her teeth clenched. She gripped the arms of her seat with both hands. One way to keep herself grounded was to hold onto something. To Noah, she asked, "Should we go look for her?" Had Lisa been down here with them? Or had she headed backstage? Either way, this panic was messing with Claudine's ability to think clearly.

There they went being ungrateful again. Tsk tsk. It was such a pity, she was only here to help. Nevertheless, Healer Poppy was determined to show her value--starting with Little Lisa. "Why, of course I can dear!" She offered the Ravenclaw First Year a candle. [b]"Just get that lit and you'll be feeling better in no time.

"Everyone, please, come come. Help get these candles lit and everything will be fine." She would ignore Kazmi and his orders, extending candles to any who came close.

As a show of this, Healer Poppy lit a candle herself, knowing it would soon start to do its job.

"No need for rushing or fussing, take some candles, light them up. Here you go dear. One for you, too, darling." She was SUCH an angel.

They were all welcome.

Ash couldn't see nothing. So, naturally, she stood on her chair to see what was going on... and. Um. She saw Lisa onstage. Lisa + yelling + Poppy + candles = very very scary. And Ash's fight or flight instinct was more of a fight or fight instinct. So. There was only one think to do. "GET AWAY FROM LISA! YOU'RE NOT EVEN A REAL HEALER!" Could they hear her over at the stage? Had she yelled that loud enough? Because this was an emergency. She had to make her way over there to FIGHT Healer Poppy, no matter what! Sure, she kinda thought she was going to die, but when had that stopped her from anything? Never. She was angry and angry was good. She stepped off the chair, fully intending to walk over there and curse Healer Poppy for a thousand million years... and then another wave of panic hit. So um. She just kinda sank to her knees. Yeah. She was going to die right here, and she wasn't going to save anyone, and she was a coward and a horrible person... Just get it over with. Wait... She didn't accept things like that. She wasn't going to die while curled up on the floor. That was for the weak. She rose to her feet and took a step. Oh no. Nooo, she was NOT going over there. She was a wimp and she was dying and that was okay and the world would be fine if she just stayed over here... NO. She took another step, and on it continued. Step by step, making her way to the stage. Was she there yet? No, she had taken like 5 shaky steps, not even sure she was heading in the right direction. And then sank to her knees again, feeling dizzy. No. It was okay. She'd just stay here and accept her fate. Yeah. They were all going to die. She had no control of the situation. Yeah.

As you are no doubt used to by this point in the school year, the lighting of the candle begins to bring on an inexplicable calm to those close enough. A zen sort of energy that is both familiar and comfortable.

Cares and concerns, what are those?

Just....zeeeennnnn.

Violet didn't know if it was the heat of so many bodies backstage or the smell of the candles Healer Poppy was lighting, but the by-now familiar headache was starting to creep up from the back of her brain toward the front, and soon her whole head, it seemed, was pounding excruciatingly. What was worse, she still felt sort of panicky, and her hands hurt, too. Looking down, she saw she still was gripping her prop sword in her hands, so tightly that they were turning red. She started feeling dizzy and dropped the sword, feeling like it was so heavy she couldn't hold it for another minute. Everything at the edges of her vision started turning black, growing larger and larger until the world collapsed into a tiny pinprick of light.

Like a large rag doll, Violet Blackthorne slowly collapsed onto the floor in a dead faint.

Phoebe was still spinning, trying to avoid getting hooked up to the flying apparatus and trying to avoid getting kicked in the head by a flailing Ivy. And then it was like a blanket was thrown over her rising panic, pinning her terror to the ground and letting the rest of her fly free.

She could breathe. She could act. Not that she wanted to. Phoebe slipped to the floor and sprawled out like a starfish. It was a nice time for a nap, right? It was a perfect time to just... chill. Like a popsicle.

Breathing. First course of action was to remember how to breathe and ignore the tight feeling in his chest. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. All while scanning wherever he could see his sisters. Which no sighting yet. He could hear Claudine ask him if they should go and search for Lisa, and all he managed to give a nod in her direction before attempting words. "Backstage. She should... be backstage. With... the other actors." He sounded like he'd just ran a marathon up a hill with how hard it was to focus enough to get the words out.

And then Lisa was on stage, and she was standing WITH Healer Poppy? Asking her to help? No. No. No. NO. This was all HER fault. She was the one who had been provoking them ALL term with her terrible 'healer' skills. She didn't care to help them. She wasn't even REALLY trying. She just was putting on an act so someone would pat her on the back and say 'good job' and that's why she'd been pumping them with that annoyingly delicious melon bread.

And now she was way too close to his sister!!

He opened his mouth to shout at Lisa, but Ash was already yelling at Healer Poppy and attempting to get towards the stage. Not well, but it was still an attempt. It was more than his legs were doing. Which he was trying to rectify now, and to help Ash up on the way, and yet he could not control his freaking. breathing.

But then the candles were lit. And as quickly as his anxiety had built, it was suddenly... dissipating. He felt fine. Breathing was natural again, his legs could move now - which he pushed towards where Ash was located - and his anger towards the red headed adult was ebbing away though he knew there was good reason to still BE angry he just... suddenly could not be bothered. Everything was cool. Everything was fine.

He reached Ash's side, and instead of helping her up like he'd originally been planning to do, instead he sunk down to the floor next to her and spread his legs out in front of him. "When does the show start?"

Because everything was fine now. Right?

A long time ago, Serena had encountered...a monstrous creature...that had left her traumatized. She remembers being frozen with fright. She remembers her mum whispering to her dad outside her room that night that she worried about Serena freezing like that during a time of emergency. Truth was, Serena had no idea what had happened, but she had made herself a promise then, that she wouldn't freeze up ever again.

Now, as fear crept out through her limbs, as her heart nearly raced out of her chest, the small redhead pushed past the chairs, forgetting about Daniel. Fear was too prominent. She desperately wanted to survive whatever was to come. There was no professor in sight around her. No adult to help. Just students.

She was set on fleeing until she heard Ashley's voice.

Lisa?!

Lisa was in trouble?!?!

Serena's small frame trembled as she turned her body toward the stage.

NOT HER BEST FRIEND!!!!!!!!!!

Panic gripped her, thinking something bad was happening to Lisa, and without much thought, lifted her wand and cast at the stage, "STUPEFY!!"

Her breathing came in heavy...until...out of nowhere, just like the panic had overcome her...a sort of zen...flowed around her...like a comfortable blanket.

Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh.

Gabi heard Heath ask the question about the audience, but she couldn't think straight long enough to talk to assure him everyone was fine. But WERE they? She didn't know and had a sinking feeling they WEREN'T, but she couldn't figure out why. Instead she just stood there, mouth agape for a moment as she tried to figure out what to do.

"You don't belong here, Poppy! You're behind this, I just know..." she said, and then started to trail off as she suddenly felt an overwhelming rush of...calm. It was so jarring, in fact, that she almost fell to the floor with Violet. Which, by the way - VIOLET. Oh goodness.

"Miss Blackthorne!" she knelt down next to her and pulled out her wand, waving it over her face and casting a smelling salts spell over her to help revive her.

Dahlia had no clue where she was going and she didn't even care as long as it was away from here. But the tears she had been trying to fight off for so long were now sliding down her cheeks blurring her vision which only served in making her walk around aimlessly backstage. Which made her panic even more because she needed to get to her family, to Tad, to everyone else that was in trouble. Yet she was going nowhere.

Her fear was mounting within her chest and the tears wouldn't stop. It was waaaay to warm back here and she was feeling ill now. Just she couldn't stop searching for them all. If they were all in trouble, she needed to find them.

The sound of Lisa shouting her name made her turn around. "Lisa?!" she called back, her voice panicked as she looked around for the slightly younger Ravenclaw. "I'm coming!" She would save her! Lia quickly headed in the direction she believed her friends voice to be coming from. In haste and wild panic she tripped over someone's foot and down she went with a very startled 'oof'.

Whether it was Ash, Evan's or even her own foot that she had stumbled over didn't even matter. Dahlia laid sprawled out on the floor in a state of confusion that was quickly disappearing as the effects of the lite candles now washed over her.

The stupefy sent by the First Year Slytherin (Serena) came out of nowhere. In the midst of being the hero that brought calm to one and all, Healer Poppy never imagined someone would take a shot at her and end the goodwill she had brought to all. What monster would try such a thing???

A Slytherin, that was who.

The redhead could not respond to the former healer's accusations for she had been knocked unconscious by the vicious spell she did not deserve. Healer Poppy hit the ground with a thud and there she stayed.

End scene?

First the panic had come in like a great wave, crashing over her and drowning any sense of logic the Charms professor had which was a lot usually, jsyk. And then just as she was sure her heart might beat right out of her chest, there was calm, and even though she knew she disliked the Poppy woman and thought she deserved an extreme dose of her own medicine, she couldn't find it in herself to give said dose. Not when she was feeling so chill. The chillest. An ice lolly, she was. It was actually quite nice.

...You know, compared to moments before.

She let herself enjoy it for all of a moment before the Poppy woman went down with a thud. "Well, would you look at that."

Norman had already summoned the woman's bag away, so Neva leisurely created a gust of wind with her wand, putting out any of those candles and hopefully restoring some sense of normalcy to the stage and those on it.

The smell of the salts was slowly bring Violet to consciousness. She felt someone holding her head, but was too groggy to tell who it was. "No! Get away! Keep that Healer Poppy away from me! Something always happens whenever she comes around--I've never been sick like this before this year, never." Violet weakly tried to bat away the hands around her, the ones she believed to belong to Poppy.

One moment Darius was checking on his castmate and then the next.... he was frozen. He felt a sense of dread and felt himself paralyze. Parts of his head conflicting with each other as he remained stationary.

Move.... move... MOVE

I can't... it's... useless.

Don't.... Stop.... GO!

Then after some time of hearing other people talking and remaining stationary, he gasped aloud at the thud of the Fake-Healer Poopy. Trying to shake off the cold sweat, "Should we.... get her out of here or can we pretend she's the plank we have to walk on?" He said. She seemed desperate to be a part of the play after all.

She needed to get out of here.

That was what her mind was telling her. The terrified and panicked feelings were only getting stronger, no matter how many times Ivy looked over her shoulder, expecting something from her nightmares to be right there. Nothing had yet appeared. But it could!! Something bad was gonna happen, she could feel it.

But she couldn't run if she was stuck in the air!!!

Arms and legs flailing, she hardly noticed Misa's attempt to grab her, nor could she concentrate long enough to remember how the flying rig had worked during rehearsals. "Get me down from- Ow!" Her foot smacked against one of the set pieces, but that wasn't gonna stop her. "Help! Get me down from here! I-"

And then, abruptly, every feeling vanished, replaced by an equally unnatural calm. It felt horribly weird to go from such a heightened state of emotion to...nothing. Not that she cared. She relaxed her limbs, no longer caring that she was in the air either.

This was...fine. Everything was fine. Everything...was...zen...

Until suddenly that was...also wearing off? And finally she was able to look at her surroundings, noticing Healer Poppy on the floor. Um...

"I vote get her out of here," she answered Darius. Everything had been going fine, genuinely fine, before the so-called Healer had shown up. Ivy hoped she was okay, but she also really didn't want her around right now.

"They're alright, Mr Jones," Kamran said in response to the upset Ravenclaw, though with his own heart beating erratically and his breathing starting to get a little out of control, and the feeling like his skeleton needed to escape from his body, it was anyone's guess how reassuring he sounded. Good chance it wasn't even true, if anyone else was feeling what he was, and it certainly seemed that way. But Kamran couldn't recall anything at all, in his panic particularly worrying or extreme out in the audience. Once this was dealt with, they really would all be fine, relatively speaking.

These were the thoughts that might have run smoothly through Kamran's head if 1. he hadn't been preoccupied by fear, and 2. everything hadn't then been dialled all the way back down. From a rapidly increasing panic to an extreme, familiar calm - thanks to those candles, no doubt - Kamran had been on quite the emotional journey these last few minutes. A little dazed by double-time emotional yoyoing, he cast a Bubble-Head Charm on himself, even as Neva dealt with the candles. Just in case.

Gabi was seeing to Blackthorne, so Kamran made for the now unconscious Healer Poppy, briefly checking her over to be sure the fall hadn't added any injury to the straightforward stunning. He nodded as Potter and Grimm spoke. "We'll get her moved out of here." Until she could face the music, and also the Board of Governors. Before he levitated the unconscious woman ready to do just this, Kamran glanced around to see if he could locate the headmaster in amongst the staff and students, for word on the play itself. Seemed a shame to waste all their efforts, but if the kids were in no state to go on with the show, that was all there was to it.

Everything was so zen. Serena almost forgot why she had her wand in her hand. Had it not been for Poppy falling over as her spell capitalized, Serena would have summoned a pillow to rest on.

O__________________O

Waiiiiiiiiiiiiiit. HOLD IT.

She just...

She just...took out an adult. And just like that, the air seemed to feel clearer, she could think. The small redhead stood up quickly, grasping her wand to her chest.

Was she in TROUBLE?!??!!!

Calmness washed over her as if on cue when the Healer turned to address her. The awful eating feeling in her stomach vanished and she felt eerily calm. So when people called her name, she wasn’t phased by it. She knew it was Ash, Lia, and her brother calling out to her but the shouts quieted as she approached the Healer.

The Healer turned to face her and extended the candle. Lisa almost almost allmost had the candle and calmness within her grasps but then the Healer just kinda toppled over like a doll with a string that had been pulled by an invisible force. Someone had knocked her out. Lisa peered over at the unconscious Healer with eyebrows raised. Wow.

She nodded to Darius and Ivy. Yep. Someone bring the hook to take her off stage. As Lisa peered down at the Healer, she couldn’t help but still feel confused by a few things. What was Poppy’s deal anyway? Who was she? Was she really Poppy? Several thoughts flew through her mind at hyper speed as she tried to determine which fantastical story was the right one.

Professor Kamzi walked over to Poppy causing Lisa to take a few steps back. She’d let him deal with whatever was going to happen next. Let the Adults do the Adult things…

Now… who cast that spell? Who was her hero?

She glanced towards the audience, wondering who had cast the spell and her eyes landed upon Serena. Her saviour. Her friend looked a little surprised so she assumed out of her (and Daniel) that it must have been her. Her best friend was so cool. Not thinking anymore, Lisa scrambled over to her best friend as quickly as she could, jumping over things and dodging between people until she reached Serena. When she reached her best friend, she smiled and then hugged the Slytherin tightly.

If Serena got into trouble, Lisa would stick by her side.

Serena was still trying to figure out if she was in trouble. But really, she haaaad taken out the bad person so she shouldn't be in trouble? She had no idea. Her brain just went through different phases of fear and the shot to a state of calm in a matter of seconds. She was pretty sure that wasn't healthy for her brain.

She was in her head when she lifted her gaze, and found Lisa doing some parkour type of things as she sped into her direction.

Serena hugged her back tightly and managed a sigh of relief. Her best friend was safe. Thank, Merlin.

"You're okay," she mumbled. "I...I..." Why was she nervous? SEE. Whatever Poppy did messed with her brain! "I brought this for you..." Serena raised her hand, not the one clutching her wand, but the one still holding the now soggy flower. She was supposed to give it to Lisa after the play, but...end scene?

Apollo had been clinging to the curtain like a rope. He hadn't managed to go too high, but his feet were definitely off the ground, when a spell was fired from the audience. And took out Healer Poppy? Everything that happened next was a series of events that the thirteen year old wasn't even sure he could properly explain.

Except. Had that spell been fired by Serena? His Serena? The first year who bought him the more expensive broom? Was now stunning adults? It took all of Apollo's strength to keep himself upright and on the curtain, but as he realized the Healer was gone and the panic had dissipated, the second year and youngest Darling slid down the curtain to land with his feet on the ground.

"Show time?" Cause they had worked so hard. Plus he had two older siblings in his character role, which was everything his actual self would have dreamed of.