Millie felt quite stupefied already. For a moment, the slimmest, shortest of moments, she really thought Autumn was going to calm down. She didn't need to come up to Millie's room with her, even though the fourth year really did have more confections than she could eat herself. Cora could have done without, or Millie could simply do with a little less, just to avoid...exactly what she feared would happen.

As the red-headed girl launched herself at the snobbish bully, subjecting Millie to a pummeling of kicking feet that knocked her to the floor, all she could think of was just how many more sweets she would have for herself.

It was too selfish.

It was too absurd.

And worst of all, Millie found herself laughing at the absurdity. She managed to prop herself up on her hands, pulling in her bare feet just enough to avoid the pair of scuffling witches. The laughter wracked her body, sending her chest gasping for breath, only to laugh some more. She might have wanted to intervene, or run off to find Professor Foxwood, but all she could do was laugh loudly watching the display in front of her.

Millie wasn't at all being very ladylike, or much of a role model to the younger students at all. If anything, she felt a little guilty that Autumn might have taken too much after her summer antics. She couldn't stand to see an urchin bullying an innocent geranium. Only now the delicate flower was punching back, and kicking and doing several more things that were very unladylike.

The realization that Millie felt a little pride in watching Autumn's act of self-defense sent her laughing all over again. She was left defenseless herself against the sharp bark of a prefect's intervention, barely managing to quiet herself after a too-long, convulsive minute of absurd laughter.

---

The following 4 users Like Millie Potts's post:4 users Like Millie Potts's post
   Autumn Fairfax, Basil Foxwood, Juniper Edevane, Sweetie Whitledge

---

Basil Foxwood was still buzzing slightly under the skin from this year’s Welcome Feast as he made his way up to his quarters. It had been an interesting evening to say the least, one the brunette wasn’t sure he wanted repeated. For what it was worth, Basil was not accustomed to being embarrassed by his students, most especially those in Ravenclaw house. (It was behavior that might be expected of an incoming Gryffindor or Slytherin even, but his Ravenclaws? Never.)

Regardless, the brunette had resolved to check on Ms. Penelope Valenduris in the morning, preferably after he’d had a word with Meserimus to ensure everything was alright. It wouldn’t do for the girl to be unhappy, but in the same vein, perhaps a little separation from her twin might be good. It would give Penelope the room she needed to stand on her own two feet. If the Sorting Hat believed she was Ravenclaw material, he wasn’t in a position to contradict it (however much the brunette might have his doubts.) Instead, Basil was determined to help her. If there was even a shred of the Raven spirit in there, it was his responsibility to bring it out and assist Penelope in blossoming to her fullest potential, should she allow it.

As Basil climbed the stairs and shuffled into his quarters considering the whole predicament, he decided to task Ms. Fairfax with keeping an eye on her. From their albeit brief exchanges this summer, Autumn had seemed particularly social; perhaps she might become a good friend to Penelope and they could learn from one another as fellow first years. It was with this thought that the brunette nodded to himself and tugged his cravat loose. His jacket and waistcoat had just hit the bed when a slight commotion in one of the portraits caught Basil’s attention.
 
“Sir! The Ravenclaws! Despicable behavior! Horrid! Embarrassing the House!”

The fat form of Lady Agatha of Merripole (one of the more irritating tower portraits, Basil had always thought) came huffing and puffing into the frame of a landscape he’d purchased over the summer. It wasn't yet hung and from her place on the floor Agatha could hardly catch her breath amidst the displeasure, pointing towards the door, and Basil felt his heart sink. Merlin, what could possibly have happened now?

It was without even pausing to re-dress fully that the brunette grabbed his wand from the discarded waistcoat and tucked it into his back trouser pocket. From there, the trek to the Ravenclaw common room was quick and Basil barked his way through the entrance just in time to catch the tail end of Ms. Parkinson’s shriek. 

The sight that welcomed him was of Ms. Fairfax practically clawing her senior house mate as the two of them buckled onto the floor.

“LADIES!”

Basil’s voice boomed in a way that was very unlike the Transfiguration professor. In an instant, he was across the room and had waved his wand to separate them, Ms. Fairfax yanked backwards by an invisible force that held her at bay. Basil positioned himself between the both of them, ready to intervene again if necessary. His expression was stormy as he took in the faces of those gathered. “What in Merlin’s name is going on here?!” he demanded.

---

@ Ravenclaws

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The following 4 users Like Basil Foxwood's post:4 users Like Basil Foxwood's post
   Aldous Crouch, Autumn Fairfax, Gus Lissington, Millie Potts

By now, Pen's knees were to her chest, arms wrapped around her legs as her cloak, face, and arms were the only features of her that could be distinguished from her robes. She'd been watching quietly in shock. How could tonight have gone so wrong? All she wanted was for mama to hold her tight. But that wasn't going to happen for months now.

First a prefect had attempted to intervene, then what looked like a professor. Head of House, she assumed. Papa had described the basics. She was sure further had been described earlier in the day, but so much had occurred since then that remembering the introduction to the castle was the least of her worries.

But the blame couldn't be placed squarely on Autumn. Pen knew that. Knew it would be unfair to the girl that was being so kind to get the whole punishment for being brave. Pen needed to be brave. "She was defending me." She squeaked. Not by any definition of quiet, but not yelling either. The professor's booming voice had quieted the room enough that her voice could be heard in all it's shaking glory. Brave wasn't what she felt though. She felt terrified. Wiping tears from her eyes, she looked between the grouped girls and the professor before burying her head in her knees. She was too tired for all of this.

The following 2 users Like Penelope Valenduris's post:2 users Like Penelope Valenduris's post
   Autumn Fairfax, Basil Foxwood

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Magic by Athena

Tony, who was averse to violence in general, was shocked to see Miss Autumn's reaction. Then again, the older brunette had threatened her.

It was all going downhill, with a prefect and their Head of House being drawn by the conundrum.

He didn't find Miss Autumn's behaviour beyond reproach, but he agreed with Miss Peneleope that she had been defending the weaker girl and that was very noble. "Yes, Professor, Miss Penelope is saying the truth," Tony jumped in. "These older girls were gossiping and very clearly trying to make Miss Penelope upset. And, this older girl threatened to hurt Miss Autumn first, you can't blame her for trying to defend herself any way she could against someone more experienced in magic!" Tony didn't like to be a tattle-tell, but he had no sympathy for that older brunette, after she had suggested that she agreed about blood purity as well.

---

The following 2 users Like Tony Lawrence's post:2 users Like Tony Lawrence's post
   Autumn Fairfax, Penelope Valenduris

Everything seemed to be happening all at once; Autumn was using all the strength her body had to attack Jessamine for what she had said, which was quite a lot more than expected thanks to her usual farm chores giving her more muscle than the average eleven year old girl. Through all of the loud shrieking that Jessamine was doing, she could hear her protests, Millie’s laughing, and before she could even register that a prefect had shown up and yelled her name in a voice that reminded her quite a bit of her own mother, she was being thrown by some invisible force so that she was no longer on top of the older girl.

It was only then did Autumn process just how far everything had gone; she was completely disheveled, her new robes wrinkled, the ribbon torn from her braids that had fallen out, and she felt bruises beginning to form and a sting in her cheek from the scratch the older girl gave her trying to fight her off - but, at least she didn’t look as bad as Jessamine who looked to be bleeding from the face and in even worse disarray as if she got hit by a runaway carriage. She felt small as she saw the look on the prefect’s face, and heard the booming voice of Professor Foxwood, whom she admired greatly since meeting him in London, knowing she was in big trouble. What if she was expelled? “I was just…” she squeaked out, at first, afraid to speak.

She silenced herself until she could find the words, but it made her smile, just a bit to hear that Penelope and Tony both stood up for her, telling the authorities that she was only trying to defend her friends from being bullied. Their bravery gave her the confidence she needed to look back to Miss Farris and Professor Foxwood and defend what she did. “I know I shouldn’t have hit her, but Miss Parkinson,” it was only now that she realized she didn’t really know the seventh year’s name until Miss Farris had said it, “has been bullying Penelope since the feast. She’s said mean things about me and Tony too, but we can take it, you see, but Penelope is soft like…like a lamb! And so she’s got to be protected.” She swallowed hard, terrified of the chance of expulsion, but perhaps this was why the hat had a hard time choosing between Ravenclaw and Gryffindor, “If you’re going to punish us, it’s between me and Miss Parkinson, please leave Tony and Penelope out of it.” She didn’t mention Millie, mostly as she didn’t know who’s side she was on now, since she had been gossiping and friendly with Miss Parkinson.

The following 4 users Like Autumn Fairfax's post:4 users Like Autumn Fairfax's post
   Basil Foxwood, Millie Potts, Penelope Valenduris, Seneca Lestrange

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Beautiful Set by Athena ♡ !

Her eyes went wide when Professor Foxwood entered the common room. Millie clamped a hand over her mouth to keep it shut and quiet, fearing what more damage she might do today. She had hardly expected a little conversation with Minnie would have such frightening consequences. Disastrous, now that their head of house was here. There was no fatigue now in her wide eyes, nor hunger in the bottomless pit her stomach had become. Wherever her house pride had gone, the young witch certainly wished she was there instead.

She made sure to stand up in front of the professor, digging her toes as deep as they would go into the carpet now that her dress barely scraped her ankles. His ire seemed to be directed at Minnie and Autumn for the moment, at least, giving Millie a couple moment's reprieve to compose herself and tell her story.

That is, until Mr. Lawrence fingered her among the culprits who started the whole ordeal.

Millie sucked in a breath, and it might have been her last. It wormed its way through her chest and around her stomach, twisting it ever tighter. They were just words, she hadn't been gossiping. That was what Minnie wound up doing, not her. Millie was only a bit frustrated, a little hurt, didn't she deserve to air that, too? The Valenduris girl had succumbed to tears but she had to button her lip and swallow her wounded pride?

The young witch could feel eyes boring their way into her skull, half a dozen from every which direction. She could barely lift her chin to meet them, not wanting to see herself reflected in their eyes. The young witch felt small and exposed, Autumn's friendly gaze had turned away from her, Mattie's warm disposition had turned cold, and Minnie's impatience was radiating so hot that Millie could feel herself burning up.

She didn't dare look at Professor Foxwood, keeping her eyes on the floor somewhere in the middle.

"I'm sorry," she managed to squeak out. It wasn't hardly adequate, there was so much more that Millie wanted to say. About herself, about Autumn's bravery and her brashness, about the reassurance of Minnie's echoing words and how much they appalled her, about Penelope Valenduris and how much she wished the girl could see the good in Ravenclaw first before feeling so bad about them.

Embarrassed didn't begin to cover the state of her feelings. Humiliated, really, that the young Ravenclaws would see her as a menace to their school years while Mattie and Professor Foxwood would see her as a hindrance to keeping their house in order. Mortified, thinking of what her parents would say, and if Papa would even consider letting her continue after next year no matter how well she did in her OWLs.

It was all Millie could do not to break down and cry herself, curling up to nurse the state of her tortured heart. All she could manage was one more, softly-spoken admission. "I'm so sorry."

---

The following 3 users Like Millie Potts's post:3 users Like Millie Potts's post
   Basil Foxwood, Penelope Valenduris, Tony Lawrence

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Jessamine wasn’t quite sure if her face was just wet because she was bleeding that profusely from her nose or because she had started crying, but she laid on the ground, frozen when she heard Professor Foxwood’s booming voice and felt Autumn go flying off of her. She didn’t like it when men yelled, especially in that way, it reminded her too much of her father, and the painful feeling in her whole body like she just got beaten into submission only made those horrible feelings that much worse; it took a moment before she could talk herself down from the panic attack it had caused before she could force herself to sit up and get up off the floor to a standing position, though it hurt quite a bit thanks to the bruises that were already forming. At least she knew how to cover that sort of thing up with beauty charms by now as it wouldn’t be the first time she needed them.

Her eyes flickered forward, though her left eye was almost swollen shut with how hard Autumn must have hit it, and she had to hold the torn sleeve of her robe to her nose so the blood wouldn’t stain the carpet. Minnie couldn’t feel more humiliated if she tried as she glanced at Professor Foxwood, then Matilda, then back at the floor; she was in such a state of disarray in front of a male professor, first of all, she shielded her modesty the best she could since Autumn tore her robes, but it wouldn’t stop him from seeing how her hair was matted, her ribbons gone, bites, bruises, scratches, and so forth all over her exposed skin, and that just as the redhead thought - she looked like she got hit by a carriage. Then there was the humiliation factor that she was being blamed for the fight and she never once caused this much trouble in her life; she could be a gossip, sure, and she’d had a detention once or twice in her whole seven years, but never this. Finally, surely everyone saw how she froze up in terror and didn’t get up at first because of her anxiety. Minnie thought she was going to be sick if she didn’t leave soon.

It took a brief moment, but Minnie turned her eyes to look at Millie, as if willing her to take her side, to defend her honor somehow; she was the only ally she had in this whole situation and it really broke her heart when she just apologized for what happened rather than defend her. But, she didn’t blame her like everyone else, and that was certainly something to consider once her emotions weren’t running so high. “Professor,” she finally said, her voice was almost as quiet as Penelope’s was, it even cracked some because she now felt the tears, “I would never hit a first year, you know me, I would never kick or punch or do any of that. I won’t deny I may have said something a bit unkind that perhaps Miss Fairfax took the wrong way, but I would never resort to such violence.” She swallowed hard, tasting blood, and took a moment to stare down at the floor before forcing herself to look back up, “May I please go to the nurse? I think I’m going to be ill and my nose is bleeding.”

The following 2 users Like Jessamine Parkinson's post:2 users Like Jessamine Parkinson's post
   Millie Potts, Seneca Lestrange

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The common room went wildly silent with the boom of his voice, enough that Basil sucked in a short breath as he looked around from guilty face to guilty face. He half expected Millie to burst into tears from the look that had crossed her visage but it was Penelope who broke the silence first.

Turning to the tiny first year, Basil’s expression softened - marginally - even as a brow went up. Before he could clarify, the girl had crumpled and curled in on herself on the floor and another first year, this time one he recognized vaguely from the scene with Professor Pembrooke, chimed in. Soon, there were all different kinds of voices piping up, not the least of them shy of explanation. It was Autumn that Basil’s grey gaze zero’d in on however.

On the one hand, he could almost expect (if not understand) Ms. Fairfax lurching at another student in defense of that which she felt was unjust. It was a quality he could see shine through her from the moment they first met. On the other however, it was completely unacceptable. Unladylike, for one thing, and dangerous. As for Ms. Parkinson…

Basil turned to her next, taking in every scrape he could glean from a cursory glance. He wasn’t quite as alarmed as perhaps he ought to have been, given that she was requesting to go to the nurse; she didn’t seem all that bad. Shaken up, certainly. But in the throes of death, perhaps not.

“Enough,” he announced, holding up one hand. “This wild behavior is entirely unacceptable and will not be tolerated at Hogwarts. I must say, I am deeply disappointed in the lot of you this evening. Ravenclaws are known for their wisdom, intellect, and above all, their ability to solve conflict through reason and sagacity. Yet here I find Ms. Parkinson and Ms. Fairfax, brawling like common hooligans, bringing shame upon our whole house! I expected more from students of Ravenclaw, but it seems I have been sorely mistaken." Rounding on the two main culprits, grey eyes narrowed.

"As for the two of you, I am deducting 20 points each for instigation and altercation, and you shall both serve detention in front of the school, waiting on the staff table at breakfast each morning for the next fortnight. If it is a lesson in etiquette you require, then so be it.” Here Basil paused, some of the bluster pulled from his lungs. It hurt him nearly as much as it hurt them to lose those points, and this early in the year too. “Now, off to bed, the lot of you! And if I hear a single whisper about this outside of the common room again, there will be plenty more detentions to go around.”

Arms crossed over his chest, the brunette waited for the students to hop to it. Then, as the shuffling began, he turned to Ms. Parkinson more directly. “Let me have a look at that nose of yours first,” he hummed, tone softening.

---

@ Ravenclaws

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The following 5 users Like Basil Foxwood's post:5 users Like Basil Foxwood's post
   Aldous Crouch, Autumn Fairfax, Jessamine Parkinson, Millie Potts, Penelope Valenduris

Forty whole points?! Was it really worth it getting into a brawl? Tony liked Miss Autumn, but he didn't agree with violence in general and now he felt somewhat peeved over her losing all those House Points because she couldn't rein in her temper. He had been called a mudblood and he hadn't started kicking Miss Amarantha, though now he did sort of wish he knew the sort of magic that would make her pay. Perhaps a curse to make her smell like mud and dung until it was broken.

He followed the Professor's orders and headed for the boys' dorm rooms.

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The following 4 users Like Tony Lawrence's post:4 users Like Tony Lawrence's post
   Autumn Fairfax, Basil Foxwood, Jessamine Parkinson, Millie Potts

Quite frankly, Autumn fully expected to be expelled from Hogwarts that night, sent back home to the little farm she called home and that would be the end of her adventure, but, by some miracle, it seemed Professor Foxwood had mercy on her and only deducted points and gave her a lengthy detention. Of course, that wasn’t something to celebrate or anything, but given what she expected, she could possibly sing. But, given how grave everyone looked, she kept her head facing down at the floor in shame, “Yes sir.” He was right, of course, she should have known better and she could have challenged Miss Parkinson to a battle of wits instead of just attacking her, but it was too late for hindsight now. “Come on,” she said quietly, holding out her hand to Penelope, in case she wanted to hold her hand as they walked up to their dorm for the night. That was another thing Autumn was truly ashamed of; all of this was because she wanted to protect someone she thought needed protecting and was so gentle and sweet, but all she probably did was traumatize her; maybe Hogwarts would really be better off if she just left.

The following 4 users Like Autumn Fairfax's post:4 users Like Autumn Fairfax's post
   Aldous Crouch, Basil Foxwood, Millie Potts, Seneca Lestrange

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Beautiful Set by Athena ♡ !

Unlike the scene from earlier, Pen was simply on the ground now as a matter of convenience. By the time she had come in, lots of the seats were taken and she'd found herself not altogether bothered with having been seated when she had first been speaking to Autumn and Tony. Now the added delay to get up and go had become somewhat bothersome given that she wanted to leave desperately.

Penelope took Autumn's hand quickly and gratefully. The entire night was traumatizing, but the idea of blaming Autumn at any point hadn't even crossed her mind. While the fight had been startling, Pen valued the reason behind it more. She gave a final timid glance at the professor. "Goodnight, sir." she said politely, meekly. Then she was off to the dorms with Autumn, glad to have at least one friendly face to say goodnight to until Pen was once more trapped by dreams.

The following 3 users Like Penelope Valenduris's post:3 users Like Penelope Valenduris's post
   Autumn Fairfax, Basil Foxwood, Millie Potts

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Magic by Athena

Jessamine had been shaking like a leaf, clinging onto her robes and refusing to meet Professor Foxwood’s eye as she couldn’t believe that he was seeing her like this; if he was ugly that would be one thing but did the one attractive Professor really have to be the one to see her like this? Maybe she wasn’t actually dying right now but she was deeply upset and she ached all over, but nothing stung more than hearing Professor Foxwood say he was disappointed in them. She was a good student, she never let any of her questionably rude gossiping get out of hand and bring shame upon the Ravenclaw House. “She attacked me, I didn’t do anything…” her voice cracked as she whined at him when he grouped her in with Miss Fairfax, but by the look on everyone’s face, no amount of pleading or whining was going to do any good for her so she went back to being totally silent.

It seemed her crying only increased as she heard the punishment; forty points?! Forty?! That was almost as much as you got for winning an entire Quidditch Match! Everyone was going to be furious with her when they found out the next morning and to make it worse, Professor Foxwood was making them serve a public detention; she wasn’t a servant! If she wasn’t trying to be a dignified young lady of seventeen despite everything she would have stamped her foot and complained like a toddler just like Miss Valenduris did when she was sorted into the house in the first place. But instead she just sobbed more and watched quietly as everyone went to bed, save for a glare at Millie for not bothering to back her up when she had the chance.

She stayed in her position though, as Professor Foxwood requested to see her nose, which she was quite certain was broken; she wouldn’t be shocked if that awful Fairfax girl gave her a disease when she bit her! Jessamine carefully moved her hand and robe away from her nose so he could take a look at it, feeling her cheeks flush pink as how embarrassing this was. “I’m sorry, Professor,” it wouldn’t change anything, but as Transfiguration Club President, she felt a special sort of connection between her and her mentor that meant she was held to a higher standard; she was supposed to be a role model, someone he could trust with the younger years, and she had failed. “Is my nose broken? You know she bit me; what if I’m infected? Shouldn’t I see the nurse?” she fretted. Oh! And even worse! What if her nose was now crooked forever and she became ugly!

The following 2 users Like Jessamine Parkinson's post:2 users Like Jessamine Parkinson's post
   Basil Foxwood, Millie Potts

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Millie felt the slap more than she heard it. It might as well have been a slap, her cheeks stung and her mouth hung open in pained shock. Her eyes darted up quickly to Professor Foxwood, who stood as still and menacing as a suit of armor at the center of the room, expecting obedience and discipline under his watch.

Discipline, she felt, that was exceedingly disproportionate.

She glanced over at a suddenly-humbled Autumn, who looked worse than Millie had found her this summer. Then to the still-indignant Minnie, and she had to look away for fear of laughing all over again in shock. The seventh year looked like a war veteran, her whole ensemble in disarray with a bloody face to match. It should have been punishment enough, Millie already felt humiliated by the whole ordeal and it wasn't even her clothes torn to pieces.

Part of her wanted to raise the point to Foxwood. Ravenclaw had been thoroughly disciplined now, Millie could argue. They didn't need so many points removed —from a balance of zero, for that matter!— nor did the whole school need to see her housemates playing out their mealtime detentions for their amusement. That was nearly cruel, and certainly not fair in the slightest!

The young witch kept quiet. Her eyes fell back down to the floor, catching a glimpse of her boots still standing upright, waiting for the witch to fill them again. The witch who would stand tall, who was charging into her new term with eyes on adventure, who had the willingness to persevere despite struggles and hard times. The witch who could even defend her Housemates against unfairness. Millie picked up her boots and carried them to the stairs instead, tonight she was not that witch.

Her throat swallowed back the bile that crept up its length by the time Millie reached her dorm room, wondering if she would ever be that witch.

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The following 1 user Likes Millie Potts's post:1 user Likes Millie Potts's post
   Autumn Fairfax

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As the solemn little faces turned to him first in shock and then varying shades of disappointment, Basil felt something in his heart pinch. A part of him was right there with them, exorbitantly dissatisfied with such a tremendous loss of House Points this early in the term… But the other, (potentially more mature side of him) was resigned to the fact that if he wasn’t tough on them now, they wouldn’t learn. He really did expect so much more from his House. A scene like this was not one he’d have imagined in his wildest nightmares.

(Further proof, perhaps, that he was not yet cut out to be a father any time soon.)

As Ms. Jessamine tried to plead her case, Basil kept a stern expression stony and unmovable across his visage. She was the one he was most disappointed in. As the eldest of the group and his right hand in leading the Transfiguration Club as president, he couldn’t imagine what had gotten into her! Perhaps he’d turned a blind eye to her character before now but surely this could not be representative of favoritism. He knew she could do better, and this spoiled behavior was not going to pass muster. As the last of the guilty marched their little tails off, Basil sighed and called after his prefect. At least there was one responsible party he could rely upon, and he couldn’t well be left entirely alone with a seventh year lady at this hour, commotion or otherwise. “Ms. Farris, if you wouldn’t mind assisting me a moment?”

A tired hand scrubbed across the brunette’s face as he turned to Ms. Parkinson. Wand still aloft, Basil moved to gently tap her hand away from her streaming face so he could have a look. “I can assure you our first years have all thier shots,” he replied tersely to the implication of infection. “As for your nose, this may hurt a bit—" he held her gently under the chin and muttered an incantation under his breath “but you’ll be right as rain in the morning.” It was not without considerable pause as her nose righted itself that Basil let out a short breath. He’d always been good with minor healing spells, fascinated by them as he was transfiguration, but the sound still unsettled something in his gut.

“As for your behavior this evening,” he continued, tucking his wand away “Jessamine, I am sorely disappointed in you. Of all the seventh years to act out so deplorably… I really had higher expectations.” Not only because she was the T-Club president, but also because she came from the upper echelons of society. She knew better than to provoke anyone with rudeness; it was taught in etiquette here at Hogwarts and was drilled into most children by their governesses. “You know what unkind words are capable of in our society, and it casts a very unflattering light on a young lady such as yourself.”

Basil tugged a handkerchief from his pocket and held it to the girl’s nose. From this vantage point he could see his initials in the same Ravenclaw blue of Autumn’s ribbon embroidered in the bottom of it. He gestured to Mathilda to help hold it there. (Might as well give the poor prefect something to do, rather than just awkwardly stand about as a pseudo-chaperone.)

“If you still feel unwell in the morning you can see the Nurse then. Come by my office and I’ll write you an excuse from class.” His tone softened again from tired resignation. “Now off to bed please. Ms. Farris, if you could see that Ms. Parkinson is settled in her dorm for the evening?"

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Jessamine Parkinson et al. who remain (FYI Matilda Farris)

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The following 4 users Like Basil Foxwood's post:4 users Like Basil Foxwood's post
   Jessamine Parkinson, Matilda Farris, Millie Potts, Penelope Valenduris

It was fortunate she hadn’t had to diffuse the situation herself – Mattie didn’t think she would have managed it without force in this situation, never mind the little trouble she had ever had with her housemates before. But of course she couldn’t get away without needing to help at all: dutifully, she hung back when Professor Foxwood asked, watching him treat Minnie himself.

(It was an indignity, to be sure, but Mattie couldn’t help but wonder if having Professor Foxwood’s hand under her chin was almost reward for being attacked. She suspected it would have been more thrilling without the accompanying lecture, but –)

It was happening to Minnie and not her, anyway. “Of course, sir,” Mattie piped up with an amiable smile, when she was called upon to get Minnie to bed. “Goodnight.” Whatever awful thing her dormmate had said, Mattie was still sympathetic: she had not deserved to be attacked by a feral first year. So it was with a comforting arm around the other girl’s waist that she escorted Minnie back upstairs. She had been expecting some late night gossip in the dormitory anyway, given it was the first night of the year – but now she was awfully certain they would have plenty to say.

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The following 3 users Like Matilda Farris's post:3 users Like Matilda Farris's post
   Basil Foxwood, Jessamine Parkinson, Millie Potts

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Jessamine didn’t know which was worse; the fact her nose felt crooked and was bleeding all over her new robes or the fact that Professor Foxwood was clearly disappointed in her and she wasn’t sure if she would be able to earn back his respect in one year alone. Everyone knew that she was a total teacher’s pet when it came to Professor Foxwood and her current presidency of the Transfiguration Club proved that, but that didn’t mean he couldn't take that privilege away from her now that she had disappointed him so severely and Minnie would probably cry harder at that than when Miss Fairfax hit her in the first place.

She blushed more when Professor Foxwood gently held her face so he could fix her nose, and honestly Mattie was right that it would have been a rather exciting gesture if it wasn't for the fact she was incredibly humiliated and honestly wanted to die in that moment. Minnie squeaked in pain when the bone reset itself and for a brief moment she thought she was going to faint, but in the end she was okay and unfortunately would be well enough to attend detention the following morning. “I know, I’m sorry,” she said quietly, not willing to look her professor in the eye; she was so ashamed of herself, “I promise I’ll do better in the future. I won’t ever do anything like this again.” She still didn’t think it was her fault, of course, she thought it was all on Miss Fairfax for attacking her over some stupid gossip, but vocally blaming her didn’t seem to help her so far.

“Yes, sir. Thank you, goodnight,” she replied quietly as she allowed Miss Farris to escort her to their dorm; honestly, that was a whole other thing! What did her prefect think of her? She surely hoped she wasn’t some sort of feral creature like Miss Fairfax and she intentionally egged her on or something. She supposed she would have to do some gossip damage control in the morning to prevent anything too horrible spreading as Jessamine was sure they were both too tired to discuss it right now.

The following 2 users Like Jessamine Parkinson's post:2 users Like Jessamine Parkinson's post
   Basil Foxwood, Millie Potts

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