[Dungeons] Quiet Dungeons

[Aidan and Derryl Parkhurst]

Their usual haughty had been very quiet the past few days. Aidan and Derryl had noticed how quiet the dungeons had become. There had been very few prefects while they were there and nearly no Slythers had been adventurous enough to go out with them. Aidan shook his head in disappointment when no one was willing to go out with them for a fourth day running.

'Come on, Aid,' Derryl said consolingly, patting his brother on the back and leading him out of the Slytherin Common Room.

They walked around the dungeons for a while before Aidan piped up, 'and what is wrong with walking around outside of the common room?'

Derryl would have laughed at the question if he hadn't looked at Aidan's facial expression. Derryl bight his tongue and nodded, 'call themselves Slytherins, do they?' But inside he was laughing so hard at how seriously his brother took some things.

[michael123]

Michael had been doing some overwork in his classroom in the past few hours and thought he may as well do a sweep of the dungeons to make sure no.. Students.. Were putting themselves out of place, or causing anyone any havok that could land themselves in detention. Michael was a stern person, and a strict professor. Michael wouldnt let anything go over him.

As he walked through the dungeons, seemingly no sign of any rule breakers he was about to head back to his classroom, or his office depending on which one he felt like being in, when he noticed two boys. Walking up behind them, he heard them discussing the lack of adventerous people within the Slytherin house. "Did you expect any more from the Slytherins these days? They have become less like Slytherins and more like the Hufflepuffs" he said scornfully, "Do you have a valid reason for being down here?" he asked the two boys as he eyed them. He wanted to know if there were any Slytherins left in the Slytherin house anymore.

[Aidan and Derryl Parkhurst]

Aidan and Derryl froze in their step. Their eyes went wide and they glanced at each other. They had been caught. Merlin's beard, Aidan thought as the two brothers turned around to face a tall, stern looking teacher.

Derryl smiled at the professor and answered his question, saying, 'We're Slytherins,' he said, 'do we need more of a reason, professor?'

Aidan smiled at his brother. He had become more out spoken these days and Aidan liked it, gave him a break. Then Aidan added, 'you see no one else is cunning enough to come with so we had to go alone.'

[michael123]

Michael folded his arms across his chest and listened as the twins spoke one after the other. "Yes i can see that you are Slytherins, i am not blind" he scorned. "Just because you are Slytherins does not give you means to wander around the corridors now, does it?" He bit, not really asking a question.

"No-one else is stupid enough, you mean" Michael spoke. He remembered his days in Slytherin all too well, all the late night sneakings. "Just because you are in a house i do indeed favour, does not mean i wont throw you two in detention" He told them, making sure he was clear. He gave the twins a smile he admired their courage. These two could go far he thought to himself.

[Aidan and Derryl Parkhurst]

The twins both crossed their arms and pouted at the professor. Aidan piped up and said indignantly, 'but, Sir, we weren't wondering the corridor, we were going somewhere.'

Derryl frowned at Aidan and when his brother winked at him, Derryl nodded in agreement. 'Yeah,' he said, 'if you've got a destination it means you weren't wondering so we weren't wondering, we were going.' Derryl wondered if anything he had said had actually made sense but when he got a grin and a nod from his brother he was satisfied.

Aidan cocked his head and frowned at the professor and said, 'but, professor, what are you doing here? Isn't your office is in the opposite direction?'

[michael123]

Michael sighed, these two were most certainly adamant in thier ways. Though Michael was stubborn and wasnt going to let these two just wander off. "That is besides the point, you two should be in your common room, which if im not mistaken, is back that way" he said pointing to the direction the two had came from.

Michael looked at them both, "It does not matter to me where you are going, you are still breaking school rules and if i dont do something about it, i am not doing my job" Michael was growing more angry at the twins insistant advances of getting off the hook, "Yes, it is. Though i am a Professor and liable to patrol these corridors to stop adolescents rule breaking habits, such as yourselves."

He looked at them both and added, "Eight O'clock, friday night. My office. Both of you. And i do not accept tardiness. Do you two understand?" he added with a snap. He didnt particulary want to throw these two in detention, but they had no valid reason for being out and so, he had no choice.

[pixle]

Pixle herself had been wandering around this evening. It wasn't on purpose that she was breaking curfew... not exactly, at least. She had been sitting by the lake writing down a story about a purple toad who thoguht he was a prince in disguise, when all the sudden the lights had dimmed. She'd rushed back to the castle as fast as she could when she heard the squabble in the dungeons.

"Aidan! Derryl!" she exclaimed as if she was entirely furious with them. "You promised you'd meet me out front remember?" she took a few steps into the dungeon and smiled up at the Potions Master; "Sorry, Professor Vance. Aidan and Derryl promised they'd help me out with a Transfiguration project Deputy Morley gave me. She wants me to write a ten page essay on the effects of Wolfesbane in and throughout magic with an emphasis on Transfiguration," she sighed. "I guess that's what I get for skipping class. But anyways, seeing as tonight is a full moon I thought I'd try to gather up some of the plants so I could study them more in depth, but I heard there were some werewolves on campus and I didn't want to go alone, so these two promised they'd come with me. I have a note if you'd like to see it?" she said and began fishing around in her robes pocket.

[Aidan and Derryl Parkhurst]

Aidan huffed a sigh and Derryl slouched when the professor gave them detention. You can't argue once you've gotten detention, Derryl thought. But he was proven wrong when a pretty Ravenclaw girl came to their rescue. It was weird to first of all, see a Ravenclaw out at this time of the night and second of all for a Ravenclaw to do such a thing.

Aidan jumped straight on the band wagon and nodded. 'Yes,' he said, 'we were just heading to where we agreed to meet ... when we met you, Professor.'

Derryl was still confused for a moment but soon caught on. 'We wouldn't want our dear,' he hesitated and threw an arm around her neck, 'Pixie getting eaten by werewolves.'

Aidan turned to the Claw and grinned. 'Sorry we weren't there when we said we would be,' he said, 'we're always on time and we feel terrible about this.' Derryl let go of the girl's neck and nodded.

[michael123]

Michael turned around to see a young Ravenclaw girl rushing towards the two of them. Frowning as the rabble seemed to be getting bigger at every moment. "You are doing a topic on Wolfsbane, and with it being a full moon you thought you would go wandering the grounds?" the professor said with a raised eyebrow. "And what is it that you think two third years could possibly do against a fully transformed werewolf miss? You were liable to all get bitten, note, or no note" he spoke slowly but you could hear the coldness and harshness of his voice. "And it sounds to me more like a potions lesson you are describing than a transfiguration one." Michael told her as she began to fish around in her pocket for the note. "Deputy Morley should know better than to let three students outside the grounds when there is known werewolves on the prowl. Especially unnattended."

Michael could figure what this place was turning into. He looked at Aidan and Derryl with slight dissapointment. He was assuming now, neither he was a true slytherin. I just dont think there are any left. "Wolfsbane, or Aconite as it is sometimes called, is a highly dangerous plant. It is also known as monkshood because the shape of the flowers somewhat resembles a monk's cowl. This ingredient is used in the Wolfsbane potion. And though it does not cure Lycanthropy it does prevent the extremely dangerous dementia which would otherwise accompany the transformation from human into werewolf." He looked down at the girl. "That is what the wolfsbane plant is. Now you can explain it in more detail and draw your own conclusion on how it affects Transfiguration, cant you?" He looked at both the students and added, "With an ingredient of potions, you couldnt have used all of your tiny brains to figure to come and ask the potions master about it? No, i care not for the note. You three are not going out when werewolves are prowling around. One more word off either of you three about going outside tonight, will land you detention. Do i make myself clear?" Michael added, "And be warned, i will find out if you have gone"

[pixle]

"As you should! Leaving me out there, half-scared that you'd already been eaten by a werewolf or worse!" she said, continuing the feigned reprimand. She turned to the Professor, "Granted, these two aren't good for much, but they cast a decent jelly-legs jinx which, if nothing else, would confuse the werewolves long enough for us to get back to the castle."
She hung her head at the mention of the possibility of getting bitten, "I know. It's a reckless idea. I just wanted some hands-on experience..." she heaved another sigh.

She livened when he began talking about the plant, "Ahh, it's my theory that the different species of Aconite might be able to be hybridized to create a more potent form of the Wolfsbane potion. Professor Morley's got this hair-brained..." she stopped and quickly corrected her statement to be less disrespectful, "This... unusual idea about the differences between natural and non-natural human to animal transformations; animagi, werewolves, vampires, etcetera. She wanted me to look into how a natural substance might create a natural cure for the natural transformation of a werewolf. See, lycanthropy is actually a mutation in the blood and very DNA of a person. The wolfesbane potion keeps their mind from becoming animalistic during the full moon; if the Monkshood could be hybridized to have a more potent element than the natural plant it could, theoretically, completly reverse the effects of lycanthropy!"

It only took her a moment to regain her composure as the Professor continued to speak, "I should have come to you for the plants; but like I said, I wanted the hand on experience..." it was then that the sincher for this ruse came through her mind, "I understand that we won't be going out tonight, Professor. But... maybe next month you could accompany us to retrieve some wolfsbane?" she asked with a hopeful pleading look on her face.

[michael123]

Just how stupid did this girl think Michael was. He knew false reprimand when he saw it, having often both seen it, and done it himself. "A jelly-legs curse would only anger said werewolf. Not confuse it. They are, how to say, quite smart creatures despite the face that they have a lust for blood" He would bring up the fact that Fenrir Greyback liked mere childrens blood and these three would be a prime target for such a beast. Though he thought best not to tell them that. "If you wanted hands on experience, you should have come to me in the first place" he scolded. Being a trained Dark Arts wizard, which obviously put the Headmaster in a tiffle when deciding to give him a job, and a Potions Master, he thought he would be more useful than two no-brained Slytherin children. But alas, she was a mere child herself. What did he expect?

"It is true, depending on how you make the wolfsbane potion it can be a stronger antidote" He said thinking. He looked up at her and gave a slight smile when she quickly corrected herself on how she spoke about another Professor. "First of, an Animagi. That is a wizards choice. They change their form at will and when they want to. They can choose not to become their chosen animal if they desire. Secondly, Lycanthropy and Vampirism is an infection in the blood. The cells from the Lycans blood, or Vampires attacks those of the human, causing the said victim to become whatever has bitten him or her. There is no cure for Lycanthropy or Vampirism. The only thing that can be done for a Werewolf is indeed give them the Wolfsbane potion. Which does not only help them maintain thier own minds whilst in thier animal form, but also stems the pain of the bones growing at a rapid speed within their bodies. So do not be fool to think that there is a cure. For there is not" Michael put his hands on his head and looked at the girl, "Monkshood and Aconite are two terms for the same plant. Monkshood and Aconite is the wolfsbane plant. The wolfsbane plant has three different names, did you not know that?"

"Yes Miss Ewing you should have done, but yet you chose not to." Michael looked at her. "Good, well then that just means i will not have to take points from Ravenclaw," He looked at Aidan and Derryl "and Slytherin, nor throw you three in detention tonight, which is lucky for me since i have too much work to do already without you three piling more on top of that" Michael looked at her when she asked him to accompany her. It would indeed be safer for her, though, he wasnt sure. Put your pride behind you for a little bit Michael "Fine fine, yes whatever. Be in my office, one month from now at precisly Eleven O'Clock" Michael told her.

((Sorry about the essay guys. My fingers got giddy with the keyboard))

[Aidan and Derryl Parkhurst]

When Pixle scolded the two, Aidan and Derryl put on their puppy dog faces, with matching quivering lower lip and sorry eyes. They glanced at each other and had to stifle laughs because they were sure the professor wouldn't appreciate them laughing, even if it wasn't directed at him.

Then the two were going on about Aconite or Monkshood or whatever it was that Pixie had said she had wanted to get. The twins were not very knowledgeable about anything to do with potions so what they were talking was like Greek to the Parkhursts. They merely looked back and forth from the one to the other as they spoke about ... whatever it was that they were speaking about with great big frowned on their faces.

But what the two did understand was that the professor wasn't taking points from them. Aidan and Derryl smiled at each other then Derryl frowned, 'does this mean no detention for us, Sir?' He was of slow wit sometimes and it took a while for certain things to sink in so he just had to check. Aidan only hoped that this wouldn't land them in detention.

[michael123]

Michael seemed to have made the girl think, for the dungeons were now quiet as the four of them stood there. The groans of the ghosts from around the castle could now be heard as Mike stuidied the three of them and by the look on the twins faces, he had succeeded in confusing them. "If you bothered to come to potions, and the rest of your lessons, you would find yourself stood there knowing what we were talking about" he told the twins.

"Yes boys, no detention for now. But keep up your rule breaking and i shall make sure you have detention with me every friday night for the rest of your schooling life, do you understand?"

[Aidan and Derryl Parkhurst]

No detention, that was something to celebrate. But with Professor Vance still there the twins knew it was dangerous to show any excitement. Instead the twins looked at each other and the familiar grimace appeared. They looked swiftly back to the professor and nodded.

'More class, less detention, got it,' Derryl said, burying his hands in his pockets like his brother did. He didn't want to chance getting into more trouble when he saw his brother stretching to say something. Derryl cut him off and said, 'well, sir, if that's all, we'd like to be allowed to go.' He looked hopefully at the professor.

'Yeah, to our common room.' Aidan added when his brother said nothing more. He didn't mind being cut off, not now, because he knew what he had to say would more then likely get they lumped into detention till they died.