CoMC Lesson 2: Ghouls in the Attic

Thursday, January 14, 1921
Another unassuming Muggle residential street
2:40PM

The students were in for a good old-fashioned field trip. With the necessary permissions in place and the final preparations in place to ensure...discretion, they were off.

Maddox had sworn off field trips after the last one, resigned to let them learn about creatures through lectures and anything that could be housed on the school grounds. The plan had gone well and he'd not felt an ounce of remorse for the students who tended to make his life difficult. He didn't think anything would be able to convince him to relinquish the new peace he'd found with keeping things simple--until the call.

A friend of his had a favour to ask. Wasn't that always the case?

The journey started with the carriages taking them to Hogsmeade--the man had no intention of suffering the walk with potential whiners--before entering the floo station that transported them out to another within a semi-rural town in Cornwall. It was good they'd left when they had. Muggle transportation, while somewhat reliable in more urban areas, was more of a hit or miss when concrete began giving way to greenery.

The rickety, dust-covered double-decker made its way down the poorly maintained, cobblestoned road, tilting and creaking with the effort of its journey. The paint was beginning to strip and fade, and there was a missing letter or two from the writing that told of the bus' stops and destination.

"This is us," Maddox said when the bus screeched to a stop. The heavy huffing sound of the engine played up the poor state of the vehicle, leaving some to perhaps wonder if it was really capable of getting them to where they needed to go. No need for that, no need for wandering, only getting into the bus and taking a seat while the man sorted out the fare for so many. It hadn't been easy--especially not given the circumstances surrounding the trip, but the creatures professor had managed to convince the board to spare some funds for the trip.

Just enough to take them there and back, the stingy bastards.

Down the road it went, occasionally tilting to one side or the other while the scenery passed by them. Within 20 minutes, they got off at the top of a residential street and made their way down to a home where a man was already standing there waiting.

The well-dressed gentleman descended the steps of the verandah with some haste.

"Thank Merlin you're here," he said, taking Maddox by the hand and giving it a firm shake. "Melvin told me you could sort out the situation before my tenants get back--is this...are these the help you brought?" the man continued, growing a bit dubious as he took in the students. He stepped back to get a better look at the lot of them. "And...you're sure about this?"

"You've got nothing to worry about, Mr. Creary. My students and I are more than capable of handling this situation, and we'll have the relevant authorities here when needed. Lead the way and leave the rest to us."

His students had surely done their reading. This would be fine. No one would run into the mouths of creatures, and there would be no one reaching for vases to concuss their classmates.

Had he mentioned they were volunteering today? He didn't suppose he had. It was just as well. They didn't have a choice in the matter. This was how he chose to spend his class time with them.

The man nodded. "Well then, right this way, I suppose." He led them all up the verandah but hesitated as he put his hand on the doorknob.

"You'll all want to brace yourself."

As if by way of explanation, a loud clatter came from the other side of the door. "It's been like this all day."

---

OOC: Welcome to the second CoMC lesson of the term! Against his better judgment, Maddox has taken the students on another off-campus field trip, and again, it's to the home of people who'll never really know you were all there. No breaking and entering this time! A clean invitation from someone in need with Muggle tenants. For now, you can have your students react to the trip and the encounter, as well as prepare themselves for whatever lies on the other side. I'll be officially giving the first update sometime around October 3. Can't wait to read all your posts!

One month. One month and the Blob that was her baby brother (who was growing less blob-like every day) would be two. A toddler. A destroyer of – well, everything clean. Tiny little fingers would touch all of her things when she was around him, and she was not looking forward to that.

It was honestly a saving grace that Evander’s mother had taken the job as the Head Nurse; now the baby wasn’t always with their father.

The bus jerked side to side on the uneven cobblestones and Morgan wondered if they were to hit a dip just right if they might become airborne. That’d be exciting, considering there was no Quidditch this term. She hoped for the sport to return next term; she had very little to entertain her when she wasn’t in class, and she was sure that David would love a break from her.

Once the blasted bus came to a stop – thankfully, she might add – everyone got off and she let her green eyes wander around the neighborhood, and then finally settled on the building behind her father’s friend.

She noted that unsure look in his eyes as he took in who was helping out with whatever they were going to help out with, narrowing her eyes a smidge as a smirk crossed her lips. That could be fun.

You'll all want to brace yourself. It's been like this all day."

Morgan heard the loud clatter on the other side of the door and raised her brow, looking at her father. He put them in some wild situations, but she had complete trust that he would not let any of them die. How bad could this be really?

“Is it a Blast-Ended Skrewt? I really wanna see one in person. Or maybe even an imp!” she exclaimed, trying to think of other creatures he had told her about but she had yet to meet in person.

The countryside was a blur of greys and whites before slowly morphing to a greenish brownish blur. The trip to her neck of the woods set her teeth on edge. Being this close to home again made her feel uneasy, like somehow her parents were hiding around every corner and watching her from the shadows.

The bus rattled, and it only irritated her more.

What a joke of a lesson. She thought, her arms wrapping around her self tighter as she stared blankly out the window, wishing to get this over with, the sooner the better. She never much cared for animals or magical creatures. They were sometimes too knowing, like they saw right through her, and it made her feel exposed and vulnerable. Her sister was more of an animal person - and she had no doubt that little one would be a Hufflepuff come next year - and she could only imagine what her parents would think.

Clara had always deviated from her parents ideals for the both of them. Vespera was always the goody two-shoes, following in Mother and Fathers footsteps - or trying at least - even if it killed her. But Clara - She was the one who'd secretly explore the caves beneath the family estate, make friends with the animals and creatures she found there, no matter how creepy or slimy - no matter how many legs or eyes they had.

Getting out of the bus and standing behind The professor, she waited his further explanation on where the hell they even were, and what creature could possibly be residing inside a Muggle single family shack of a home. The rattling and sounds coming from behind the door made her cock an eyebrow - unsure of what to expect.

"This is us."

Rosalie was in a daze.

He was back. After everything, after convincing herself he wouldn't be, he was back. She had seen him briefly at lunch and had tore out of the Great Hall before he could approach. She wasn't ready. And now her head grappled with the idea that not only had he actually returned, but she'd have to face everything that had happened.

She had skipped the rest of her classes for the day, only showing up to CoMC because she'd been wandering and somehow had taken herself right to Professor Barlowe's barn. She hadn't given it a second thought climbing into a carriage, nor into the fireplace to be floo'd. She certainly gave it no consideration as she sat silently on the bus, staring blankly forward at nothing in particular.

None of it felt like it mattered.

But she was here.

By now she was used to Barlowe's lessons and the field trips he took all of them on. It was rare they remained on the castle grounds for longer than a couple of months before he was whisking them off somewhere to help a colleague or a friend of his. She stood silently as the bus came to a rickety stop and she followed behind her classmates, coming to a stop behind the professor and next to Vespera.

Rosie crossed her arms in front of herself, studying the old house as a smartly-dressed man emerged. He and the professor spoke for a moment, cordial niceties and all that. As was expected, they were all here because there was a dangerous creature on the loose and Professor Barlowe had decided it was their problem.

No matter. It would be a good distraction for the Gryffindor.

"You'll all want to brace yourself."

They'd been led up to a verandah and Rosalie took a deep breath, opting to leave her wand in her back pocket this time. She'd do as well as she could with her wandless, until she knew she was out of her depth.

Finally, another field trip. After the...minor issues they'd run into back in September and the professor's subsequent telling off that led to them having lecture after lecture, Rae was beginning to think the man really did mean it when he said he wasn't taking them on another field trip. It was a strange thought, never being voluntold that they were helping out somewhere off in the world again, or taken to terrains where some of the more dangerous creatures roamed. Sure, they still got to interact with the ones housed in the paddocks, but...it wasn't the same.

Seeing the carriages awaiting them when they'd gotten to class, Rae was practically bouncing on the balls of her feet. Having the distinct honour of sitting with the professor in his carriage--the poor man--the 14-year-old had chatted his ear off about all the places they could be going. He could've ended the conversation sooner had he just answered her questions, but alas, the man didn't like to be bothered and seldom did he explain himself.

Secretly, she thought he might like surprising them. Whether for some weird pleasure at their shock or because he wanted to maintain the wonder until they arrived, Professor Barlowe remained tight-lipped, if not a bit exasperated.

She didn't expect the muggle bus. Already, it was making the magical field trip feel just a little less magical. Those contraptions didn't run into deep jungles and couldn't scale the sides of ravines. It left the unfortunate predicament of them potentially heading to someplace boring and after months of tame lessons already!

He was going soft.

From basilisks that most of the class still hadn't been able to determine whether they were real or otherwise, and ashwinders they had to follow deep into caves...to a rickety old bus that creaked and groaned its protest of the job it had been given. It left her sceptical. That scepticism only grew as they made their way onto what looked like a perfectly normal street. "Are we breaking in again? If you wanted us to become career criminals, professor, there are more interesting ways."

She also didn't work for free, as the man always seemed to forget every time he dragged them onto one of his little humanitarian aid missions. They weren't her friends. Why did she always end up helping?

By the time the man said what he did, she couldn't even pretend to be surprised. Of course. Of course. Rae pulled a face at the man when he looked at them like they were something to turn up his nose at. While not trained ministry officials, they were clearly more capable of handling whatever happened to be on the other side of the door than he was, so he might've wanted to watch his tone.

"You'll all want to brace yourself. It's been like this all day."

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Rae stood with the others by the door, stopping by Morgan. The girl was resigned to the fact that this was how they were going to be breaking their no-field-trip fast.

She was ready. As ready as she would ever be.

Maddox was aware that his 'team' didn't look like much. Underage wizards, some of whom still hadn't figured out which side of their wands their magic poured from, were bound to have a harder time inspiring confidence in grown wizards who believed they were receiving an elite task force. That would come later. The man only needed to be patient. Once the students had gotten the necessary hands-on training, the proper authorities over at the ministry would be called in, the ghoul removed, and everyone would've gotten something valuable out of the experience.

“Is it a Blast-Ended Skrewt? I really wanna see one in person. Or maybe even an imp!”

"Another time," he replied mildly. "If we'd run into one of those, the house would be up in flames, and that wouldn't bode well for our discretion."

While Maddox was certain he could convince a few of his former colleagues over at the ministry to let his students handle it, there would be far more outside of their control and likely a need for Muggle regulation intervention by the time they were through. It would turn into a needlessly big operation that would bury him in mountains of paperwork he'd rather avoid.

Those jobs he never accepted.

"Are we breaking in again? If you wanted us to become career criminals, professor, there are more interesting ways."

He waved Elliot off with a flaccid flick of his wrist. Always a smart quip with that one, seldom something that might be helpful. "I'm sure you can see we're being escorted into the premises. Are you braced yet? I've been told it would be a shame if something were to happen to any of you on one of these little outings."

The man cast his gaze around the group, lingering a few extra seconds on the quiet ones like Laurence and Mulciber. He could always count on the composure of the older crowd, and with the banging that rang out from the other side, the man took solace in the idea that they might remain level-headed throughout.

He didn't need a repeat of anyone trying to play hero. Speaking of, blue eyes drifted back to his daughter. Spirited as Morgan was, there was always a need to keep an extra eye on her. Maddox shot her a knowing look, silently letting her know he wasn't expecting recklessness for this lesson. She was getting old enough to know better.

When the door was opened, Maddox gestured them all inside, preaching a final word of caution as they went.

The inside of the house looked like a mini warzone. The furniture was tossed all about, giving the room a ransacked look.

"He was perfectly lovely until the last family moved out. Poor thing, they didn't take him with them and he's not made much progress with the muggles--not that we'd hoped he would," the man explained, but there was no real indication of who he was. Not until a vase went flying across the room toward them. Reflexes had Maddox shifting out of the way.

He hoped the students were as quick.

There, standing in the archway that led to the kitchen, was an ornery ghoul. The creature shrieked and grunted its displeasure before reaching for the end table nearby and sending it flying at them next.

"Find cover," the professor ordered, nimbly escaping the end table's unintended wrath.

The man who'd let them in didn't need to be told twice. He was already firmly crouched behind the couch, waiting for the matter to be resolved. "He's a darling, really. Probably just sad! In any case, I can't have him continuing to get more and more destruction while my tenants are home. It's the first time he's left the attic."

Plates came flying next, porcelain saucers sailing through the air in search of the intruding brood. Nothing was safe or sacred; everything that wasn't nailed down was in danger of soaring next.

---

OOC: First update is here! The students are under attack and will need to take cover. There's furniture flying everywhere and a ghoul that's having a bad day. They can use the environment or, if capable, cast their own shields. The ghoul is taking targeted shots, so feel free to mention objects intentionally being sent their way. You have free rein with what's thrown and where it lands for your character; however, please do not RP for or make assumptions about the ghoul. OOC, it remains under the professor's control. This lesson will be updated around October 7.

Was she...braced?

Rae shot the professor a quizzical look, not sure she was following. Distracted as she was, the girl had never connected the dots of the other man telling them to brace themselves and what the professor now asked, but as a general rule, when it came to creatures class, Ruth Anaya was always prepared. Sometimes, that was the difference between a peaceful end to her day and an unnecessary and bothersome trip to the hospital wing. For loving the place as much as she did, Rae hated being a patient and was the worst sort.

She could hear the commotion coming from the inside and was already forming some ideas in her mind of what could be happening, but a vase nearly taking her head off wasn't exactly what she'd had in mind.

Like the professor, Rae managed to dodge out of the way, hitting the ground while the porcelain vessel brushed just barely over the top of her head. She could feel the wind as it rushed over her, realising very quickly how narrowly she'd evaded a reddened face and a massive headache--at best.

The girl had barely straightened before the professor was encouraging them to take cover, and with good reason. The vase hadn't been the only thing sent flying in all the chaos. The end table was next, tossed with much malice in their direction as if the...the...Rae turned her attention to the source of the commotion, spotting a...um...she knew this one...uh...nobody tell her, it was on the tip of her tongue.

It was...that one there was--

Whoa!

Plates, it was throwing plates. Just who was going to have to clean up all this--nevermind...she decidedly didn't want to know. Something told her the answer was a lot closer to home than she'd have liked to think. No time to remember what the funny-looking creature was, despite its name now being close enough for her to practically taste. Cover took precedence.

Rae turned, headed for the couch, but ran into the already crouching man who'd let them in.

She huffed loudly.

"Seriously? Shouldn't you be out there helping? Leave the hiding places for the rest of us."

An awful example, one of several that existed in the life of Ruth Elliot. Out for himself after being the one to invite them into danger. Huffing away from the man she couldn't convince to make room for her behind the couch, Rae cast a silent 'protego', shielding up against this physical assault.

"Don't suppose anyone knows how to make it less angry?"

Maybe...say...the guy who invited them here?

Benji had been here the whole time.

Really.

He'd actually been the first one on the bus, making it a point not to engage anyone - even his girlfriend - in the hopes he could get a nice relaxing nap on the back of the bus. It had been his whole goal when Professor Barlowe said they were taking a trip and would have to take a few forms of transportation. He'd laid low on the carriages and had been the last through the Floo. He'd pulled his hood over his head, curled up into a nice comfy position on his seat. Very warm. Very cozy. Was all set to begin snoring when -

"Benji, the bus stopped. Everyone's already off."

Huh? The boy's eyes fluttered open sleepily, taking a moment to adjust and figure out exactly where he was, when his body visibly recoiled, jumping backwards and pressing into the seat as Kaitlyn hovered over him. That smile, bright and...very intentional bore into him, her eyes glimmering with something sort of insane as her face came closer and closer. The boy fumbled against the seat, attempting to sit up and somehow find himself out of the predicament he was in, noticing she had him completely cornered.

"Uh...hey Kaitlyn," he said weakly, finally getting his feet flat on the floor and his back stiff against the bus window. "Thanks, I'm just gonna..."

"You're gonna what? You already missed part of class. So did I."

Her voice was taking on that sort of weird sultry thing it did when they used to snog - a long, long time ago, before he had a girlfriend and not since then, promise - and it set his heart pounding in a rhythm that he definitely didn't want to be feeling right now. "Yeah...um. So if you could just maybe um..." the boy was stammering, his face turning all sorts of reds.

"Snog you? I can do that Benji. Rae won't ever have to know."

A laugh, though not one that came from humor, but more incredulous sounded from the boy. It was a tone that sounded halfway between a squeaky door hinge and cat that had been stepped on. "Kaitlyn, no - that's, wow - that's definitely not happening." He tried to slide around her, but her arm blocked him in. She tilted her head, her eyes blinking at him innocently.

"You used to like it when I -"

"Ancient history," Benji blurted out, hands up like she was holding him at wand-point. She may as well have been, honestly. If Rae found them in here, he was deader than Peeves. "Prehistoric. Fossilized. Extinct. Dead and buried under 'please let me out of here before she decapitates us both'." The girl's smirk widened. "You've changed, Benji."

"Unfortunately it happens to the best of us Kaitlyn." His voice was shaking now, his eyes darting wildly out the windows, hoping someone - someone other than Rae - would come looking for him and break this little...whatever it was up. Like a godsend, the bus driver suddenly appeared, motioning for the both of them to scram. Benji practically launched himself over three seats, before racing down the middle aisle and right out the doors in a flurry of robes and panic.

He ran to catch up with the class - to some old house again and up to the landing, where he'd quickly shoved in next to Rae. His breathing came heavy, and he swallowed hard. "Sorry Professor," he offered honestly. "I fell asleep, I swear it will never happen again." Genuinely. Benji would never take the risk.

He looked sideways at Rae, offering her a sheepish smile even as he heard Kaitlyn's footsteps follow him up the stairs. "Did I miss much?" Before she could answer, the door was opened, the Professor leading them inside with a quick order to take cover.

Take cover? Benji was certain. There was no creature on this earth that was more persistently dangerous to his health than Kaitlyn Dwyer. Giving the girl a side-eye, he missed the vase being launched by - well the ghoul that was apparently a pet - and took it directly to his shoulder, sending the boy sprawling to the floor. Taking cover made sense now. Especially as an end-table went sailing over his head and then plates.

He groaned, as he pulled himself behind the solid end of a bookcase.

"He's a darling, really. Probably just sad! In any case, I can't have him continuing to get more and more destruction while my tenants are home. It's the first time he's left the attic."

Benji scowled at the ghoul's owner who had taken cover behind a couch instead of trying to resolve the matter. "Isn't he your pet?" Benji cried out, motioning to the dishes that were crashing into the floor. "Don't suppose you know how to get him to relax?" Benji's eyes found the professor's and he motioned wildly with a shrug. "I guess just try anything then?" He didn't want to get in trouble if he used harsh magic on the creature.

Barlowe was sensitive about these sorts of things.

"Protego Maximus!" Benji said, whipping his wand over himself as Rae shielded and looked thoroughly fed up with everything. A mug launched at him, followed by a handful of forks.

"Ooh, that was good, Benji," Kaitlyn cooed quietly, causing a deep roll of his eyes, "I saw your bicep flex with that one."

Merlin help him so he'd never have to suffer Kaitlyn talking about his bicep again.

There was a lot of banging coming from the other side of the door, and Rosalie instinctively took a step back. Where the younger students might be more eager to get on with things and run in, wands blazing, the Gryffindor understood well that dangerous things were best approached with a plan in mind.

A plan that would be much easier to formulate if she knew what they were up against. Professor Barlowe, as a rule, seemed to enjoy waiting until they were in the thick of things before revealing the creature they were up against, and as something hard and heavy slammed against the door they were about to enter, she wondered if the man was calculated in this, or he simply didn't think to tell them.

Surely, telling them would be no harm? It wasn't like they had a place to run away to.

His eyes lingered on her for a moment, and she offered the smallest smile she could manage, reassuring her professor that she would do her best. She was sure he liked her looking after the younger ones too, but without Cass...

Rosalie set her jaw. No. It was fine. She could keep an eye on all of them. Namely Morgan and Rae.

The door swung open, and she followed quickly behind Professor Barlowe, her eyes settling on...was that a ghoul?! Ugh! Rosie couldn't help the disgusted face she made, despite the owner's protests that everything was apparently fine.

"He was perfectly lovely until the last family moved out. Poor thing, they didn't take him with them and he's not made much progress with the muggles--not that we'd hoped he would."

So - he was like their house elf? Or some sort of...pet? She ducked, as a vase flew over her head, smashing right into her idiot cousin who was too preoccupied with things other than a ghoul tantrum. She shrieked as an end table came flying next, and the professor didn't have to tell her twice to take cover, which she did right by the owner who was hiding behind the couch.

"Protego," she cast with a quick wave of her hand, as a heavy candle smashed into the wall right next to her. "Rae, do you think maybe you should get down?" she called out, as a series of heavy books, one right after the other flew right at the Gryffindor.

"He's a darling, really. Probably just sad! In any case, I can't have him continuing to get more and more destruction while my tenants are home. It's the first time he's left the attic."

Rosie looked at the man with disbelief, but knew better than to sass an adult the way Benji seemed to have no qualms about doing. She sat for a moment, wincing as a chair went flying and crashed loudly into the floor. "He...he probably misses his family," Rosie tried with a shrug. "Can we petrify him, Professor? Stick him in a cage or something and take him to them?"

Let him be their problem.

"Another time. If we'd run into one of those, the house would be up in flames, and that wouldn't bode well for our discretion."

Morgan scowled and crossed her arms over her chest, watching her father. They could never do anything fun. Was she going to say this though? No. She’d learnt her lesson about complaining to the man. She could pout all she wanted, but that was all she could do.

"I'm sure you can see we're being escorted into the premises. Are you braced yet? I've been told it would be a shame if something were to happen to any of you on one of these little outings."

Green eyes rolled at her dad. While she could hear the commotion on the other side of the door, she still thought he was being a bit dramatic. Sure, he couldn’t let any of them die or get hurt – but she’d never forgive him if she died in one of her own father’s lessons. He knew better than that.

Morgan followed the group inside, sticking near Rae. But not because she was scared. Of course not. But she and Ruth had bonded a term ago over starting a fire in Transfiguration. She could do it again, if she really needed to. But of course, her dad didn’t force them to have stupid dolls during class either.

Eyes widened when suddenly objects were tossed in their direction, Morgan yelped out of surprise and managed to very un-gracefully fall flat on her face and covered her head with her hands. “Dad!” she yelled, along with some other undiscernible curses.

Once Morgan thought she could safely, she lifted her head and looked at where the thing was. She knew what it was – she recognized it at any rate. What was it called?

Some kind of pet, apparently. Morgan reached for her wand and when she saw the creature, she attempted to cast “Immobulus!” at it, in hopes that would give her and the rest of the class a second to catch their breaths and actually think.

The care of magical creatures professor had to think long and hard as he watched the younger Laurence join the rest of the group. The Hufflepuff was obviously flustered, looking a little like he'd been taken on a ride by ghosts or more akin to someone whose life was still flashing before their eyes. Even after Dwyer joined them, the man couldn't begin to imagine what might have struck this new resolve within the boy, and he was struggling to decide just how much attention it deserved.

In the end, not much.

It seemed a little superfluous to worry about the strange deeds of a 14-year-old--all of them were weird, every one of them--when there was furniture flying and the real risk of danger if they couldn't get the ghoul to calm down. It was uncharacteristically aggressive; that much was clear. A ghoul like that had to have been made that way, driven to it by external forces and that realisation had questions leaping into the man's mind.

"He's a darling, really. Probably just sad! In any case, I can't have him continuing to get more and more destruction while my tenants are home. It's the first time he's left the attic."

That...was marginally helpful.

Maddox scowled at the man's idea of help as the landlord went and tucked himself behind the couch. The professor had no doubts that the creature could be lovely. Most ghouls were simple-minded and caused little trouble. They could be a bit disruptive and did enjoy stomping around a bit in attics, but he hadn't known many of them to seek active violence against others, even after being...left behind.

There were few things the man hated more than being told half-stories, while he was willing to stretch the limits of the safety of his students. There was more to this.

"Seriously? Shouldn't you be out there helping? Leave the hiding places for the rest of us."

"Isn't he your pet?"

The landlord was under attack by inquisitive children who didn't know well enough to let a man hide in peace. Too many questions, not enough defending of his property. Then there was the older girl who crouched next to him, taking up space where he hid. Was it any wonder then why the tiny one couldn't fit?

"He...he probably misses his family."

The man nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, yes! Misses its family, the poor dear!" he insisted, nodding vigorously along before turning to the standing pair--one of which had just taken a vase to the shoulder. "It's NOT my pet, thank you very much--and--and don't you go around spreading things. Mind your business. It must've come in with the last tenants I had."

This wasn't his fault. Not...no--they could get back to work! "Instead of asking me how to fix it, use those brains of yours for something useful!"

The exchange grew more and more curious while Maddox hid behind his own shield. Maddox now had questions, questions he didn't think they had the time to ask under the current onslaught. The moment his daughter cried out, the man dropped his own shield in favour of throwing one up around her. Under his cover, Morgan was able to successfully cast against the creature.

The chaos in the room came to an abrupt halt as the creature fell to the spell's effects.

"Stick him in a cage or something and take him to them?"

A bleeding heart.

Maddox kept his wand raised in case the creature should break free of the spell. "Good job, Barlowe," he praised briefly before turning his attention to the older Gryffindor. "A compassionate suggestion, Laurence," he said, his gaze now drifting momentarily over to the landlord. "But I have a feeling they may be a little confused should we show up at their door with a ghoul in tow. Class?" The man called with pseudo patience, "Would any of you like to regale Mr. Peterson with what you know about the nature of ghouls?"

Perhaps they too might catch onto a thing or two. "What signs can we look out for with a ghoul infestation? We can also begin getting this place cleaned while Mr. Peterson decides how much he'd like to confess."

---

OOC: Sorry for the delay! Morgan has managed to stun the ghoul for the moment, allowing the students to breathe a little easier. Things aren't quite adding up for this infestation, and the professor--now that the ghoul is subdued--has ordered a small stop to regroup with what they know as he works through this. There's definitely something the landlord isn't saying. Feel free to have your students be suspicious or clueless, have them give info on ghouls, or be clueless while these events unfold. They can always start on some cleanup! I'll be back to move the lesson again on October 13 thereabout.

"Did I miss much?"

Rae hadn't planned to say anything about Benji's late appearance. In her mind, he'd fallen asleep on the bus and had nearly been carried away. It was just the sort of thing that might happen to the boy, and she had every intention of teasing him about it later...until she noticed Kaitlyn was also late and Benji Laurence was looking a whole lot like a portion of his life had just flashed before his eyes. Rae's gaze flickered between the two for a moment, noting the way Kaitlyn was still watching him, but the chaos of flying furniture had temporarily distracted her from this very real problem that she had every intention of addressing.

There was just the matter of the flying furniture first. Rae watched a plate bounce off her shield, having not been flung nearly hard enough to break through.

"Rae, do you think maybe you should get down?"

"Well, I don't see how," she protested with another huff. "Not with this overgrown man-baby hogging all the space." Didn't even have the courtesy to leave some room, but somehow found it in himself to be sassing her and Benji. As if they were the reason he had some house problems on his hands.

"It's NOT my pet, thank you very much--and--and don't you go around spreading things. Mind your business. It must've come in with the last tenants I had. Instead of asking me how to fix it, use those brains of yours for something useful!"

"You sure do protest a lot. Bunch of big talk for someone hiding while a little girl has to cover you--"

"Ooh, that was good, Benji, I saw your bicep flex with that one."

Kaitlyn Dwyer had come to Care of Magical Creatures class choosing violence. The girl had woken up on whichever side of the bed she'd slept on and decided that, indeed, her day wouldn't be complete without an injury or two to remind her of her place.

And Benji thought the girl was trying to avoid trouble. Silly boy.

Morgan threw a spell, one that stunned the creature. Rae made use of that moment. Turning her wand in the exact opposite direction of the being? Beast? Something. Rae took aim, sending a "Depulso!" that launched the girl and had her tripping against the staircases as she landed. It wasn't a dramatic flight across the room that would've drawn ample attention, rather a spell with just enough force to send the girl stumbling back in the already chaotic environment.

"Oh no," Rae said, running her hand through hair that was too straight. "Oh deeaar. I missed. Kaitlyn, you poor thing, do you need me to do it again?" Or was she done trying to be her boyfriend's biggest cheerleader? The next spell wouldn't be depulso. It wouldn't be nearly so nice.

Rae caught the unamused look of the professor, but before he could spring into any sort of lecture or reprimand, the girl quickly moved into answering his question. Couldn't be punished mid-sentence, nope. There was probably a rule about that somewhere that the man didn't care about. "Those things are supposed to be stupid and simple, yeah? Like red-headed Ravenclaw fourth-year girl, stupid. They probably smell like stupid, red-headed Ravenclaw girls, too--"

"Elliot."

"Alright, alright, but I was at least half right. But wait," She paused. Rae turned to look back at the beast that was already beginning to twitch out of Morgan's spell. "Aren't they supposed to be super docile?"

Who raised this thing?

In all of Morgan’s years at Hogwarts (just two and a half), she hadn’t shown a whole lot of promising skill when it came to throwing magic around. In fact, she very much preferred physical violence (rocks… nails… etc) to trying to remember weird Latin words. (You couldn’t blame her though, her mum raised her essentially muggle.)

But her Immobulus hit. It actually hit and did what it was supposed to do. Green eyes widened as she looked at her dad, as he praised her, then slowly got to her feet as the chaos came to a screeching halt. She could breathe.

Morgan dusted her front off, looking at her dad briefly before seeing movement. The girl who was always all over Benji had stumbled back. Her eyes moved to Ruth’s face and then she smirked, having a feeling that she knew what had happened.

It served that girl right. No one liked her.

"But I have a feeling they may be a little confused should we show up at their door with a ghoul in tow. Class? Would any of you like to regale Mr. Peterson with what you know about the nature of ghouls?"

Ruth responded and Morgan nodded. She did know that. They were docile and pretty… well, lame, if she were honest. But this one…

"What signs can we look out for with a ghoul infestation? We can also begin getting this place cleaned while Mr. Peterson decides how much he'd like to confess."

“Yeah, docile and lame…” Morgan said and looked at the ghoul she had spelled to be still. He looked a bit more crazed than she had heard they would. “I dunno, something is wrong though and has made him incredibly angry…” she said and frowned.

She’d done a good job spelling the thing, but had done a poor job figuring the issue out. So, Morgan lifted her wand and began moving all of the broken objects into a singular location to make clean-up easier.

"It's NOT my pet, thank you very much--and--and don't you go around spreading things. Mind your business. It must've come in with the last tenants I had."

Mind his business? MIND HIS BUSINESS?!

Was this not his business, and all of his classmates' business, considering they were supposed to somehow figure out how to wrangle this creature as it threw cutlery at them? It wasn't bad enough he had Kaitlyn breathing down his neck and complimenting his muscles, but now there was a ghoul trying to concuss him.

Thank Merlin for the Barlowes - one of them anyway. He peeked his head out at the ghoul who had suddenly quieted, so impressed with Morgan's cast that he almost missed Rae's. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a flash of red hair, and he turned quickly to see the Ravenclaw go tripping back near the stairs.

"Oh deeaar. I missed. Kaitlyn, you poor thing, do you need me to do it again?"

Kaitlyn was huffing and puffing and trying to gather herself as Benji's mouth fell open stupidly, his eyebrows crinkling as he stared at Rae, still crouched behind the bookshelf. She...did she just depulso Kaitlyn? He hadn't done anything with her! He hadn't even acknowledged her when she complimented him. He'd ignored her. Was that all so necessary?

The boy didn't move, staying safely behind his shield in case his girlfriend decided to turn one of her spells on him, next. He swallowed hard, racking his brain for anything he knew about ghouls.

“Yeah, docile and lame…I dunno, something is wrong though and has made him incredibly angry…"

"Those things are supposed to be stupid and simple, yeah? Like red-headed Ravenclaw fourth-year girl, stupid. They probably smell like stupid, red-headed Ravenclaw girls, too--"

"Rae..." Benji tried, but Kaitlyn was already barking like a chihuahua at a postman.

He couldn't understand what she was saying between her high pitched shrieking and the shield, but he'd had enough. The Professor wanted to know about ghouls and Benji was content to focus there and not on his girlfriend and the crazy Ravenclaw that obviously wanted to see him dead. "They're used as pest control yeah? Eating bugs and rodents and stuff?"

He wasn't well-read on ghouls, but he knew enough. One of his friends from the conservatorium had a pet ghoul at home and said his mum only kept it because it kept roaches out. "So what do we do with it now, Professor?" Surely they weren't all just going to stand around and look at the thing.

Rosalie was thoroughly fed up. She hadn't even planned to be here, and now she was caught in between a terrified landlord, a violent ghoul, Rae's temper and Kaitlyn's screeching. Morgan was doing beautifully, actually contributing to solving the problem, when everyone else had just devolved into chaos. She'd much rather be sitting quietly by the lake with her thoughts, trying to reconcile what she was going to do and how, than be distracted by all this...nonsense.

"A compassionate suggestion, Laurence, but I have a feeling they may be a little confused should we show up at their door with a ghoul in tow. Class?"

She followed Professor Barlowe's gaze to the man crouched beside her, and she suddenly understand. It was his pet, as much as he'd like to say it wasn't, and now he made it all their problem. The poor creature. He was so upset. It wasn't his fault he was dimwitted and didn't understand much. If she were in his position, she'd be just as angry. Maybe...maybe they could bring the ghoul back to the castle with them? He'd probably love the bell tower and the rafters, and there were plenty of vermin, as Benji suggested that ghouls liked - that he could feast on.

Rosie found herself suddenly feeling bad for the ghoul, "Professor, could we take him back to Hogwarts? He'd be safe there." And he could make friends. If ghouls did that. As someone who often felt lonely, she could empathize.

"What signs can we look out for with a ghoul infestation? We can also begin getting this place cleaned while Mr. Peterson decides how much he'd like to confess."

An infestation? Didn't that mean usually there was more than one? Did that mean there were more in the attic? Rosie's eyes drifted up to the ceiling even as she began picking up the pieces of the broken candle. "Strange noises from the attic usually? Bangs and moans?"

This lesson, despite being as problematic as he was discovering...had been meant to be a simple one. It was their first foray back out into the 'wild' since the abysmal lesson back in September, and while things weren't adding up, there was certainly enough to keep everything within relatively calm parameters. Of course...when you had certain students in your class...nothing was ever that simple.

Maddox groaned loudly as the spell Elliot shot sent Dwyer stumbling into the staircase. The girl, as was ever her nature, showed no sign of remorse, only an inclination to do it again should the mood strike.

The man was long-suffering and continued to suffer for it.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, he accio-ed both Elliot's and Dwyer's wands, silencing the latter for the sake of his ears. In the middle of it all, bleeding ears were the last thing he needed.

By the archway, the ghoul was already beginning to stir. He had a feeling that would happen. His daughter was getting better with her casting, but a spell like immobulus, at her level, wasn't powerful enough to keep such a creature subdued for long. It had, however, bought them enough time to catch their bearings and try to figure things out.

Gremlin that she was, Elliot was right. Peterson was protesting a little too much.

"Those things are supposed to be stupid and simple, yeah? Like red-headed Ravenclaw fourth-year girl, stupid. They probably smell like stupid, red-headed Ravenclaw girls, too--"

"Elliot." Circe sake.

“Yeah, docile and lame…I dunno, something is wrong though and has made him incredibly angry…”

"There are no truly 'lame' creatures. They each have their strengths and points of intrigue, but you're correct. They aren't usually this...festive." This ghoul, while not the worst he'd seen, was very evidently trying to cause harm.

"They're used as pest control yeah? Eating bugs and rodents and stuff?"

"Sometimes, true. Yes. They enjoy many of the pests that would otherwise plague a household. The ones interested in eating pests aren't usually so inclined to come attacking others."

"Professor, could we take him back to Hogwarts? He'd be safe there."

This one could've been a Hufflepuff. For everything else he knew the girl could be, she was never short on compassion, even at the least opportune times. "It would be, but we wouldn't." If it was willing to tear up a Muggle home, it was already too violent to be housed in the paddocks where students visited, unless she meant to have it caged and locked away from everyone and everything.

There were more humane plans in place.

"The Ghoul Task Force should be here any minute. They'll find him a nice home somewhere he won't be a danger to others or himself."

A loud THUD came from the top of the stairs before another ghoul came tumbling down. It crashed to the ground near Dwyer, scrambling to get back to its feet. The first finally shook Morgan's spell, returning to its earlier rampage. It ran toward Morgan, charging at the girl who had forced it still. At the same time, the second shook off its daze before too charging at the group with angry grunts.

"Peterson..." Maddox said, side-stepping the clumsy, charging beast.

"Ex-extermintors are expensive! I couldn't--you couldn't expect me to pay every time this family complains about the rats--I'd--I'd be in ruin!"

"How many?"

"Only these two--"

CRASH!

"Three! There are three--look out!"

The man ducked behind the couch once more as a large pot came flying from the kitchen that should've been empty. "They usually listen to me. I don't know what's happened! I was very honest with Melvin when I told him I needed help. They're getting worse. Soon, they'll break the statute completely. I need them out--but--but there's no REAL need to get the authorities involved, is there? I just need help getting them back to my place. I'll take care of them after that."

The man's tone suggested sinister undertones for his idea of 'taking care' of the creatures. It made Maddox's blood boil. The man had evidently trained them into monsters himself for other purposes, then unleashed them, thinking they could still handle mundane tasks.

The third ghoul came barrelling out of the kitchen, this time heading for the girls who were with Peterson by the couch (Laurence and Elliot). It came bearing another large pot over its head, ready to crash it into them unless something stopped it.

"Let's get them stunned. The rest we can handle after."

Because now there would certainly be an 'after'.

In the new chaos, Peterson began to inch away from the couch. He kept low, crouching as he went, suspiciously in the direction of the front door.

---

OOC: The case was bigger than expected but still very manageable! There are angry ghouls on the loose, attacking the students. As Morgan has shown, 'immobulus' or other spells that stop them should be employed. Your character might also choose to shield or shield a friend. Peterson, in the chaos, is trying to slip away. Maybe he could use a bit of stunning while someone is at it. This is the final update before the closing, and the task is to subdue the ghouls, however your character would see fit/is capable of. I'll post the closer on October 19 thereabout.

So...not only was the man a shit adult who preferred to have children fight his battles while he hid, but he was cheap, too? Damn, he wasn't trying to pick a struggle at all. Rae eyeballed the man while Professor Barlowe extracted the information that he could from him. Something about exterminators being expensive. The man had brought his own pets to handle the job--they were his pets, no matter how thoroughly he protested--and had somehow lost control.

Not the sharpest tool in the shed, huh?

It was funny how that became their problem, but Rae supposed they could hardly ignore the matter now with two more ghouls popping out of the woodwork and heading for them. Never a dull moment.

Of course, with the rise in action, Rae couldn't possibly pay attention to Benji's look of astonishment or Kaitlyn's yapping--thanks for the silencing charm, Professor. The world was now a better, more silent place. He was a real one, looking out for the eardrums of those he educated. She would have to fetch the man an apple from the kitchens at some point. She'd heard he was partial to them.

For now, big oaf with grunts heading her way. Right. Yes. That was probably a priority.

Rae saw the one by Kaitlyn and averted her gaze nearly immediately. Unless someone else saved the girl who'd been silenced and unable to cast, she was likely in for a bad afternoon. Rae, meanwhile, would save herself and Rosie.

Her friend was far worthier of being protected and wasn't actively trying to snog her boyfriend who wouldn't even snog her.

She could try 'immobulus', like Morgan had done, but the girl didn't want to run the risk of the beast shaking this one off, too. It wasn't that she didn't think she'd have enough power behind it, but rather that she had a better idea brewing already. When the beast rounded the couch, arms seemingly ready to clobber them with the earlier thrown end table it had stumbled on on the way over, Rae's wand was aimed and ready.

"Petrificus Totalus!"

The movement at the corner of her eyes caught her attention.

This man...really was...a piece of work, wasn't he? "Oi!" Rae cried out, potentially adding to the chaos of spell slinging and angry ghoul grunts. She pointed in the direction of the front door. "He's getting away!"

And while she was no snitch, the man hadn't earned her loyalty. As far as she was concerned, he'd left her out in the open to have her skull cracked. Had she not been so handy with her wand, there was every chance she would be in some degree of pain now. That sort of treatment demanded repayment, and Rae would gladly watch someone stun or trip him since he seemed so keen to be gone before the proper authorities arrived.

This was why criminal activity should've been left to the capable. Mr. Peterson was full of rookie mistakes, chief among them, getting a bunch of children involved in something that was meant to be kept a secret.

When the Ghoul Task Force arrived, she was absolutely telling.

"Sometimes, true. Yes. They enjoy many of the pests that would otherwise plague a household. The ones interested in eating pests aren't usually so inclined to come attacking others."

Benji's eyes drifted back to the subdued ghoul, thoroughly perplexed now. So this one was mad...which meant he wasn't getting his fill of bugs and rodents. Benji could understand. If someone kept him locked in an attic and starved him, he'd probably break out and start throwing furniture too.

"Professor, could we take him back to Hogwarts? He'd be safe there."

Rosalie was insane. Incredulity crossed his features as he shook his head, wishing Kaitlyn had just left him alone to sleep through this class, but alas he was here and his cousin was suggesting they rehome this thing to their home. Where they lived. For the short time that would endure once this ghoul took up residence. Luckily, Professor Barlowe wasn't quite the bleeding heart that his cousin was, and it seemed there was a task force coming soon.

Maybe that task force could, ya know, speed it up?!

"How many?"

HUH?!

Chaos. It was chaos. And while Benji typically thrived in such environments, he still didn't feel fully awake and prepared to take on all of this. Another ghoul came barreling down the stairs and then a third. "Fuuuuuuuuu - " Rae's spell whipped past his head towards a ghoul with a pot on its head, and he quickly followed her lead, whipping his wand towards the charging one.

"Petrificus Totalus!"

"It would be, but we wouldn't. The Ghoul Task Force should be here any minute. They'll find him a nice home somewhere he won't be a danger to others or himself."

Well. Rosie stared at the subdued ghoul, glad to know that at least he would go somewhere safe where he would be content and live out the rest of his days not cooped up in a muggle house, angry at the world. It was a fate that sounded, to her, worse than death. And no creature deserved that.

A thud sounded from the top of the stairs as Rosie peaked her head above the couch, not noticing as Mr. Peterson was already beginning to slink away.

"How many?"

There...there were more?! Rosie's eyes widened as the professor and landlord went back and forth, before a large crash sounded from the kitchen. A pot flew across the room as another ghoul came charging down the stairs and the first ghoul suddenly came to, chargining straight at Morgan. A third rushed from the kitchen, a pot on its head and it raced directly towards her.

A whimper escaped from her lips as she scrambled backwards, pressing her back against the wall and squeezing her eyes shut, unable to think in her terror, of a single spell to defend herself. This was it. This was how she died. In a muggle house, torn apart by a ghoul with a pot on its head and an end-table in its hands, and her stupid boyfriend with his stupid potions and stupid lack of communication wouldn't even get to say goodbye to her.

Oh well. It was his fault. This was all his fault. Everything! Let him finally be the one to know what it was like to -

"Petrificus Totalus!"

Her eyes popped open as a breath of relief escaped her lips. Rae had saved her. Sweet little mouse, thank Merlin for her. "Thanks," she muttered to her friend, feeling utterly useless, but thankful all the same that she hadn't taken a table to the face. She really needed to teach herself to focus in the moments when she was scared, and not just when she was calm.

Kaitlyn's ghoul rushed at her at the same time Rae pointed out Mr. Peterson was making for an escape. Rosie didn't like Kaitlyn. She was a meddler, just like another girl her stupid boyfriend kept entertaining. Kaitlyn knew good and well Benji had a girlfriend. Let her deal with the ghoul on her own. Instead, Rosie whipped her palm towards the landlord.

"Carpe Retractum!"

It only made sense for things to devolve into chaos the moment truths were revealed. In his long line of work, before being trapped within the walls of Hogwarts, that had always been the case. A moment too quiet, a whispered truth, a man cornered, such things usually led to further complications, not fewer. Maddox considered himself a veteran at dealing with the unexpected by now. In the face of danger--a degree this hadn't hit--the man had learned not to flinch.

A level head served him far better than blind panic and fearmongering.

Two of the ghouls were now subdued through the quick wand work of Elliot and the younger Laurence, leaving only the one charging at the Dwyer girl. Had he known it would make him extra responsible for her...actually...no, he'd still have silenced her. There were rules against screaming like a banshee in his class, and while this wasn't the dusty old barn they had theory lessons in, the rule was universally applicable.

He didn't need screaming and yelling and carrying on anywhere.

Maddox flicked his wand in the direction of the final ghoul, and it also came to a sudden stop. All that was left was...

"Oi! He's getting away!"

He wouldn't pretend to be surprised that Peterson had made a run for it. The landlord would have a lot of explaining to do when the officials showed up, and he couldn't imagine that the man wanted to be particularly forthcoming about any of it. There was now a potential statute breach or near enough as anyone at the ministry would've been comfortable with, and he would have to explain what he'd done to get them behaving this way in the first place.

Maddox turned his wand in the direction Elliot pointed, but the older Laurence was already on the case. Smart girl that she was, she'd had the forward thinking to anchor herself before such a cast, forcing the man staggering back rather than propelling her forward.

"Good work, all of you," he said, for now choosing to ignore the mess their diligent work had left behind. Mo had started cleaning some of it earlier. The rest wouldn't be more than a few swishes of their wand.

A knock sounded at the door.

Right on time. "Come in."

The door swung open, and several members of the Ghoul Task Force stepped inside. They were as surprised as Peterson had been to find a room full of children and the mess their lesson had left behind. Before they could ask any questions, the man began to gather his brood, ushering them with some urgency toward the door.

"Peterson will help you with anything you may need to know--come along children--" nudge nudge, "and I'll be sending my own formal report before the day is out. These ghouls are his. He can tell you all about his riveting and innovative plan to save a few galleons on an exterminator in a muggle home."

They weren't moving fast enough. While Maddox was fine with the landlord being questioned, he didn't want to fall under scrutiny himself for his plans with the lesson. The less they knew, the better.

Out the door, he hurried them down the street and back to that old dusty road to wait for the bus back.

He needed a nap.

---

OOC: That's a wrap for lesson two. Thanks for sticking with me, I had a blast! I'll leave the thread up for about another 24hrs in case anyone wants to get in a last minute post toward earning full points. Look out for Lesson three. It should be up before the end of the month! <3