Loud Noises

Caelani smiled at the pair. The Gryffindor was trying to be clever. It was always so amusing watching a Gryffindor doing that.

"If she's afraid of bees, she shouldn't have gone out of her way to catch one," Caelani observed. "She could have got the same effect from a fly, or a mosquito."

"I'm not going to take points from you; I've already taken points from you," she continued. "Unless you'd like something else. A detention perhaps?"

Caelani took a moment to really look at the two girls. The younger one seemed terrified at the prospect of getting a detention, until she turned on the waterworks and then it was clear she just didn't want to be caught. The older one was disgustingly self-assured. Caelani might find a way to respect that if this girl could just figure out who had the power here.

"Sweetie," she looked down at the crying first year, "scared people don't threaten. They beg. Trust me, I'm very scary."

"Excuse me, Professor," James Wake asked the increasingly dangerous woman. He knew of a few of the new professors, and he knew enough to know that she was not a kind judge. Considering her targets, James knew something was definitely wrong. Jack was a prankster, no doubt. "Is something the matter?" His gaze locked onto Jack with unerring accusation. Without a doubt, Jack Dyllan had played yet another prank.

But that did not require anything too harsh.

"I can take care of this for you. Imperium Squad and all."

Jack shot Luna the quickest of sharp glances, feeling exasperation set in. They were trying to act innocent, and innocent people never threatened. And plus, if they got points taken away, or even a detention...whoop-dee-doo. Jack knew from experience that neither were the end of the world.

And now they had pissed her off. Jack said in a chipper voice, "You're right, what was she thinking capturing a bee. A mosquito may have been more effective." She decided she could drag Luna out of this before the girl completely freaked out or something, and then Jack could explain what she had done wrong.

And then, James Wake had joined them. She felt more exasperation settled onto her. The first time she had met the guy, he had been trying to take Keith and her to the professors for illegal tampering with potions. Her eyes narrowed on his, wondering what he was up to, but her mind already planning...

If Caelani had to name one thing she hated about this school more than anything else, she would name the Imperium Squad.

It wasn't just the pretentious name. Caelani had been forced to do horrendous things when she was at school, and something like the Imperium Squad could have children doing those same things again. It was one thing to choose to be a Death Eater as an adult, when you knew what you were getting yourself into, quite another to be moulded into one as a child.

The Ravenclaw boy who tried to interrupt was exactly the sort of child Caelani was frightened for. He reminded her a little of Sabina, had that same air of conviction she'd had, even at the end. Best to crush his hopes immediately.

"Do you think I can't take care of it myself?" she asked him coolly.

However, the Gryffindor girl had already admitted their guilt and that was good enough for Caelani. For a moment there, she'd feared the two of them might think it would be a good idea to take up her offer and frankly, Caelani had no desire to spend an entire evening in the company of two brats who didn't yet understand that life was fundamentally unfair.

"Well, at least you've learned something from this," she said.

It would be too much to expect for anyone other than a Slytherin to learn not to get caught.

"Now get out of here, all three of you."

Jack stared at the professor, her eyes cold on the death eater's. Jack felt a chill creep into her body as she stood there. There was an odd cruelty hanging in the air, the knowledge of the difference in the sides they had all chosen. Jack felt like she was the younger kid's protector, making the professor her opponent if anything were to happen...

She snapped at James and Jack felt a small surge of anger. A moment ago she had been suspicious of him. Now, she was worried for all three of them. The professor dismissed them, and Jack's eyes lingered on hers for a moment, tension settling on the scene. Then she grabbed James and Luna by their wrists and dragged them away with her, before either culd do anything rash.

Luna growled a little at the teacher, but was grabbed by Jack before she could say anything.

"I wish I hadn't got caught, I was stupid for staying but I just wanted to admire my work", she whispered softly. Pride was one thing Luna had trouble with; anything she accomplished could be seen as something to be proud of, even the good of her circumstances. Pride, yes pride, killed anything she ever done. It was an issue she'd have to overcome in order to get farther in life.

Curse my pride, Luna thought, it's caused me too much trouble. Anyway, as she was dragged away, she moved her feet to keep up so it wouldn't hurt so much. It really hurt to be dragged away, in her wrists and the soles of her feet. Her eyes still had tears; it was hard to stop crying once you got started, even in false tears.

"I'm really sorry Jack, I really am sorry".

Jack pulled the two down the corridor and around the corner before releasing them, turning slowly to face them. She had to do some quick damage control; see if Luna was still freaking out and if James was still going to report them to whoever it was he reported too. She had had enough run-ins with the kid to know he was serious about... well... everything, but she never knew whether or not they were "cool."

Jack turned to Luna and said, "Calm down." She said it a little harsher than she had meant, perhaps because she was a little bitter for having lost twice as many points as her and had not realy done anything. She did not mind getting in trouble; but she thought punishments should be just. She would rather take detentions to points deductions, since it hurt her innocent House. Ah, well... She would earn them back on the Quidditch field...

"You can't do anything about it now, if you really want you can earn back the points I'm sure. And don't apologize to me, save that for your House." She gave her a warning look. "That'll be your problem. But relax, you are fine, and you got off pretty easy, really. Unless..."

She turned and addressed James. "Unless we are still in trouble." She gave him a neutral expression. She and her apprentice Keith had sort of... roughed James up when they had tried escaping him before, and she did regret having to do that. But she had been much more worried about expulsion then. Now, she did not care so much. Although she would like to compete in the Triwizard Tournament... It was really up to him now. "Are we in trouble?"