#hufflehoney

[vialsofvenom]

McKail's brow furrows, Deimos nearly jumps out of his skin when addressed. He'd hoped this was over for his part. Chin quivering a moment, he wet his lips, "She demanded he apologize again, he laughed and jabbed her again. This time here," he demonstrated on McKail's collarbone, "Asking what she would do if he did not. She pushed his hand away, told him she's write his father. Wrath laughed and pushed her," he paused, "And she socked him in the nose." [pt 1]

Deimos clears his throat, "He shoved her and drew his wand, ordering her to stand down. She launched at him and snatched it away, demanded the apology; he told her to return the wand and put his hands on her. She stomped his foot, scratched him and he yelled. Peregrine refused to give back his wand..." McKail shifts, slightly uncomfortable now. "And he struck her, then shoved her back but she caught his vest and they fell back." McKail adds, "She sprang up and pointed his own wand at him." 

Deimos glares at McKail, "Yes. She did and demanded he apologize, Wrath stood up saying he spoke only truth and she then said she'd hex him." McKail pipes in, "We told them to stop. I said for Wrath to get his wand and go." Deimos' lips tighten, "Wrath ran at her and she did just as she said she would. W-" "We both went to help and she drew her wand on us!" "And told us to leave and she would give the wand to a prefect. Which we did, straight to Madam Pomfrey and... then we were summoned here."

Loki listens carefully to the account, expression still stony. But were one to observe his reactions closely, one might notice a slight, approving softening of his expression as Deimos speaks, and an angry hardening when McKail interjects. It's subtle, but noticeable for anyone with a keen eye.

And when the story is told in full he nods and takes a deep breath. 

"Again, Mr. Deimos, thank you for your honesty. And you, Mr. McKail, as well..." he adds, shooting hints of disdain through his otherwise sincere voice. "...at least, when it suited you. And for the sake of both of you, I do hope..."

And before he can finish his thought, he is cut off by a knock on the door.

[vialsofvenom]

McKail's swollen face scrunches into an all-confident, if immodest, smile, "Sir, that would never happen." Deimos' ashen skin falls sheet white, he inches further away from his companion. McKail explains, "My mother has a sterling reputation at the Ministry and my bloodline is pristine." He continues after a moment of puffing up, "Why should I get upset when they're clearly jealous?"

Loki's stern visage only hardens further as McKail speaks, lips pursed above his arched fingers in a most disapproving frown, and eyes glinting coldly from under lowered brows. He knows a lost cause when he sees one -- and the Slytherin before him is as hopeless as they come.

Or... perhaps not quite? He doesn't seem capable of premeditative malice -- because in all honesty, that would require him to be far more intelligent than he is. So perhaps his misguided notions need only be corrected. But that is a project to be undertaken at another, more appropriate time -- in detention, perhaps, seeing as the boy will be spending quite some time there as a result of this incident alone. 

"No reason why you should -- the exercise was hypothetical, and meant to help me determine whether you are, in fact, capable of empathizing with someone less... fortunate than yourself."

"It seems I have my answer."

The bare threat in the professor's voice is absolutely overt, and lacks all pretense of unbiased judgment. Even when his attention returns to Deimos, whose physical and obvious mental distancing from his companion has not gone unnoticed, a degree of irritation lingers.

"And since it seems that Mr. McKail has decided to be obstinate, why don't you describe to me what happened after Miss Peregrine... lost her temper?"

[vialsofvenom]

Deimos drops his eyes as soon as the attention falls to McKail, feeling faint. He was going to lose point no matter what he'd said, may as well have been honest. McKail shifts slightly, "She should have taken the commentary as a motivator. Odd parents mean you should strive to be normal. Blowing up like she did is just stupid when she could have just sat on it a while. It just proved the point that she just as mad as everyone says she is." Deimos gave the smallest of nods.

To those who aren't already on his bad side, the professor is nothing if not fair. Honesty will be rewarded as much as dishonesty will be punished, and beyond that, so will Deimos' demonstration of his level-headedness and own sense of fair play. Wrongs had been committed on both sides... that much Loki could have guessed without having known the full story. That the young Ravenclaw is aware of that is not lost on the professor.

Nor, as it happens, is McKail's utter inability (or unwillingness) to see the conflict from anyone else's perspective. Loki has to restrain himself from spitting out harsh derision as the boy condemns Honey's allegedly peculiar upbringing (he'll have to ask about that later -- the girl had never told him much about herself, and he had never pried). 

Throughout McKail's testimony the professor's expression remains as illegible as it was whilst Deimos had spoken, and though it takes greater effort this time, there is still no indication that he sympathizes with one student over the other. That is, until he speaks, and irritation underscores his voice's stern steadiness. 

"Would you have 'just sat on it a while' if someone had insulted your mother, Mr. McKail?" His pale, storm-green eyes flash coldly and he locks the child's gaze in his own, fighting to keep his voice level and not allow it to deteriorate into a snarl. "If -- whether or not they were right -- someone had called your mother's honor and the legitimacy of your birth into question, would you have been content just to stand there and swallow your abuse?"

[vialsofvenom]

Deimos continues after taking a small step away from McKail, "Peregrine turned and looked back at him. He continued on about how it took a love potion to even get a muggle to fall for her and how he left. 'She's been luring men away from good families for years. Poor fool, she's the joke of the town'. That is when Peregrine demanded he shut his mouth and apologize. Wrath prodded her," he pokes McKail between shoulder and collarbone, "telling her to mind her own. And she exploded."

He watches Deimos with hawklike intent as he elaborates, eyes flicking occasionally to the third companion to gauge his reactions. 

When the tale is told to its end Loki nods slowly, takes a deep breath, and leans back in his chair, interlacing his fingers across his chest and bracing his elbows against the armrests. For a long while he does not speak, and simply looks from one student to the other with his lips pursed contemplatively. 

Finally, once he feels as though enough tension has accumulated, he makes a point of meeting the Ravenclaw's eyes, and speaks quietly. 

"Thank you for your honesty, Mr. Deimos -- I will take it into consideration when I am deciding how many house points all four of you will lose tonight. Now, I have heard accounts both from you and from Mr. Wrath, and Miss Peregrine's will come shortly. So in the meantime..." his gaze flicks to McKail, of whose house he is head, and his eyes narrow slightly. "...why don't you explain to me why you think her reaction to have been unjustified?"

[vialsofvenom]

McKail glances at Deimos, something is amiss. Deimos explains softly, his tone hushed, "Peregrine was called aside to elaborate on a baker in the town, Wrath claims his father owns the store and allows a squib to run it out of pity for the family. Peregrine said the bread was good and nothing more. She turned to leave and Wrath nodded-" McKail paled, "Deimos." The boy stands up a little straighter, "-after her and said and 'that's the spotty half-blood daughter of the local trollop.'" [pt 1]

-

[vialsofvenom]

Wrath murmured, "Yes, Sir." He walks between his friends on his leave, closing the door silently behind him. At the questioning, Deimos rubs his arm, dark eyes looking down to his right; McKail simply stands there converting oxygen to carbon dioxide. McKail dives right in, "I do. Wrath was just telling us about his town when Spo- Peregrine started screeching like a banshee." Deimos nervously licks his lips, "I do not. I believe it could have been handled with more grace on both sides."

If Loki has any opinion on McKail's story, he certainly doesn't show it. His aspect remains stern but altogether placid, and he merely hums in thought, and turns his attention to the other student as he speaks. His expression remains illegible throughout, and when the Ravenclaw finishes speaking, the professor dips his head into a thoughtful nod.

"Interesting. Would you care to elaborate on your point, Mr. Deimos? To hear Mr. McKail tell it, the three of you were merely victims of a young woman's unwarranted fury. I know what crime she allegedly committed -- where, then, do you believe your fault to lie?"

[vialsofvenom]

"She overhead my conversation with my housemates. I have seen her in my town before, it is not a large one, and her mother does not have the best reputation." The words are flat, he holds not a note of enthusiasm. "She told us to stop talking and I insisted she mind her own business. As you can see it escalated into the theft and the jinx."

"I see."

At this point, any theories the professor has are pure speculation — which is hardly enough to base a punishment off of. And getting this boy to give both a straight and complete answer is going to be like pulling hippogriff teeth. 

For a moment he pauses, evaluating the situation and Willard’s face with a keen eye before finally lifting his wand, and giving it a flick towards the door, which swings open. 

"Mr. Deimos and Mr. McKail."

The names of the other two boys are stated like a repeated command, and he beckons them sternly forward before returning his attention to their ringleader. 

"Go fetch Miss Peregrine from the Hufflepuff dormitories, Mr. Wrath, and tell her I wish to speak with her. Tell her, specifically, that I am not angry, and that I simply wish to sort out what happened tonight with regard to the four of you, and to ensure that all of you receive justice — and I urge you to use those precise words, because if I find out that you did not impress upon her the spirit of my summons, I will consider it deliberate disobedience, and will have no qualms about deducting house points."

Which is really just a more elaborate way of telling the boy to play nice. 

"Now, you are dismissed. Return in haste, and close the door behind you," he commands, and turns his attention to the rest of Willard’s clique. He waits until the door has shut, then lets his eyes move with sharp deliberacy between the two very different and very familiar faces. 

"I am disappointed you," he says quietly, after a long moment. "Both of you. I expected better."

“Tell me… are either of you surprised that Miss Peregrine reacted the way she did to your gossip about her mother’s reputation? And do either of you think that her reaction was unjustified?”