It Isn't What You Think (Max)

Guest

It had been a long and tiring day. Who knew being a janitor - well, caretaker - could be so tiring? Thank Merlin she had magic to help her with the cleaning. Still, she was literally working two jobs - her undercover one as a caretaker and her real one as and undercover Auror. As she went from room to room under the guise of cleaning, she would poke around here and there, looking for anything that might give a hint of the person being the Nightshade.

Nothing had turned up so far.

Now with all the students and adults in bed, Savannah went around the castle, dimming lights, locking doors, and making sure that everything was as it was supposed to be. It was a large castle and Savannah tried to be as quick and thorough as possible. Blake was waiting for her after all, and she wanted to spend as much time as possible with him. They had to keep things under wraps so that their cover wouldn't be blown but they were also going to somehow show that the Muggle Studies Professor and the Caretaker had something going on. It was easier that way if they so happened to be spotted together.

With her wand out as she walked along the Ground Floor heading towards the Entrance Hall, Savannah kept an eye out for anything unusual as she did some late night cleaning and door-locking. Just as everything seemed to be in place and she was going to head to the upper floors, a movement caught her eye.

[[OOC: I don't know if this is the correct location to have it so just let me know and I'll move the post.]]

Guest

Sneaking out of the school had come as second nature to Max. For years it had been easy, in fact. With very few of the teachers actually laying down the rules properly, Max had had easy pickings of going to see his accumulation of creatures, and finishing up the building of his tree house. That had been completed within the first month of being back at the school, and now, it was simply time to enjoy it.

Max had just finished up in the tree house, putting in the final touches of the bed he'd made himself in times where he simply couldn't come back to the school because his animals needed him. Not that he'd actually asked for permission to be outside of the school at night.

Which meant he was probably breaking a million and one rules. Whilst being a prefect.

Hurrying back up the stairs of the castle - a storm was coming, Max was almost certain - the Gryffindor slid through the door without a second thought of teachers. He'd been on patrol duty, if anyone asked. Or, some other crap like that, anyway.

It seemed, from a very brief glance around, that the coast was clear. So, Max being Max, didn't even try to hide himself from view as he started across the hall towards the staircase, completely unaware that there might be someone else around.

Guest

The first thing Savannah did was cast a non-verbal charm that enhanced her eyesight. No one should be up and about at this time of night and she was on high alert. A few blinks and she could see clearly that it was a student, and a prefect to boot. He'd come in from outside, and from the way he didn't try very hard to hide himself, she guessed that he'd done it more than once. Now the question was, what had he been doing?

Striding casually out from the shadows, Savannah spoke up. "Prefect Hollingberry," she called, loud enough that he would hear but not so loud that anyone else could hear. As a caretaker, it wasn't her place to dish out discipline. That was up to the Headmaster. The most she could do was try and find out what he was up to. Perhaps she could play the kind and concerned card. "May I help you?"

She didn't think that he was up to anything illegal. Breaking school rules sure, but from reading through all the students profiles, she didn't think that Hollingberry was any harm or even a suspect in the Nightshade case. Of course, Savannah knew better than to take things at face value. She knew the importance of being thorough and not assuming that someone was innocent just because they seemed like it.

Guest

Max's carefree mannerisms in respect of coming in from the forest had come to an end as he heard his name being used. Well, not his name as he liked it, but his last name, that instantly brought Max to the conclusion he was in trouble. Where his parents used 'Maximillian' in a very firm tone, the professor at Hogwarts preferred to use his last name.

Looking towards where the voice had come from, Max gave the new caretaker lady a warm smile. Trying to hide the guilt, but Max had never been very good at hiding things, truthfully.

"Umm, no, no, I'm okay thank you. I just had to... check some things in the grounds. But I've resolved it now, so I'll be heading up to the Common Room now because I think it's close to curfew and I would hate to be out of bounds after curfew. Even as a prefect, that's not allowed." Max babbled, though he knew perfectly well it was beyond the time in which they were supposed to be in bed.

However, Max didn't make a move towards the stairs, wondering if the new caretaker wanted to say any more. It would probably be rude to just take off up the stairs, wouldn't it..?

Guest

Savannah took in the boy's smile, or rather, attempt at a smile. Her trained eye could tell that he was trying to hide something; she just didn't know what. His rambling didn't give her much of an explanation, but an amused smile crossed her lips as she listened to him talk. From what she knew, Max wasn't a trouble maker and therefore, his late night excursion probably didn't warrant a punishment, but she couldn't help teasing the boy a little.

"You're not a very good liar, Prefect Hollingberry," Savannah commented, her amusement showing in her tone and in her eyes. "It is well past curfew. I don't think that sets a good example as a prefect." She paused for a moment to give him a chiding look before continuing. "Perhaps you would like to tell me the truth this time?"

One thing Savannah appreciated was the fact that the boy didn't try to run away. Not that it mattered; she could easily use magic to keep him in his place. But it showed a certain a mount of maturity in him that she knew would bring him far in life.

[[OOC: Oh, sweet shiitake mushrooms!! I'M SO SO SORRY, JAKE! I completely forgot about this (I remembered while eating lunch today) and didn't see that you'd posted. A thousand apologies!]]

Guest

At the comment of not being a very good liar, Max's cheeks flushed brilliantly. "My girlfriend says as much." He said with a smile. Lying wasn't a good thing to be good at, but usually he talked so much and so quickly he got away with telling not truths easier. Adults, though, had a much keener eye for attention than his peers.

"No, you're right, it's not a good example." Max replied with a small grimace on his features. He knew the Caretaker was right, and though many might not respect her role, Max wasn't about to write her off as not being a high enough authority figure.

"The truth. I was outside looking after some of the animals in the forest... because I have a special bond with a few of them. I took the Bowtruckles some earwigs to eat, and there are a couple of Crups that don't mind the odd bit of scraps from the dining hall if I can sneak them out." Max said, before realising he'd just admitted to being in the Forbidden Forest to a teacher.

Well, Professor Jameson knew, and hadn't told him off for it. With a sheepish look, Max looked to the Caretaker with a hopeful smile. He'd done no harm, he hadn't put himself in any harm. Surely she wouldn't punish him for that, right?

Guest

A corner of Savannah's lips turned up when she noticed Max's blush. He was a rather cute and sweet boy, not that she would let Blake know that. At the mention of a girl friend, Savannah was surprised but managed to keep it from showing too much. She hadn't expected the slightly awkward kid to have snagged a girlfriend, but hey, she wasn't judging. "Your girlfriend is very honest then," she commented witha a warm smile.

She nodded slowly as the boy admitted to not being a good example. It took guts and courage to say something like that and Savannah's respect for the Gryffindor grew. It was rare to find people - especially males - who would admit that freely.

She listened to his explanation which reconfirmed her initial assumption that the boy wasn't up to anything bad. Of course, he broke another rule besides curfew but Savannah knew what it was like to do everything in one's power to pursue one's passion, even if it meant breaking a few rules along the way. Her only concern for him was that he would get hurt. She knew that the Forest was full of dangerous creatures, that if one didn't know to handle, would cause great injury. As caretaker, it was her duty to ensure the wellbeing of her students.

"Well, that's admirable," she began. "But I hope you stay safe in that Forest." She paused for a moment to make sure that she had his complete attention. "Perhaps you might like to limit your visitations to the day time, before curfew," she suggested. "You'll receive no punishment from me, so rest easy," she concluded with a smile.