Gwenna eased the wobbly frame back into place before ending the spell.  She'd been doing so well until stupid Frank Sellaphix had distracted her!  Only the professor's praise and the five points she had earned for Gryffindor in front of Mairead and the other fourth years stopped her from scowling.

She stepped back towards the other students as the bees began to swarm around their hive again, mouthing a silent 'Sorry!' in the direction of the poor, sad insects.  Even if she was proud of getting to show off in front of the older students, she still felt bad for helping to take away their honey.

At least Professor Onuris was pulling Sellaphix aside to have a word with him.  But Gwenna only had a second to feel smug before the professor called for her to join them, too.

Was she in trouble, too?  Her brows knitting, Gwenna looked at Mairead, and then looked back after the professor and Frank Sellaphix.  Frowning, she obediently followed him back to the gazebo, trying not to glare at her fellow third year student who had nearly made her mess up in front of the whole class.

On a normal day, being called aside by a Professor in the middle of class would have been an event of sheer terror and shame for Francis Sellaphix. But today? Under Eirene's passable Cheering Charm? It seemed only a curiosity! The butterflies in his stomach were quite doze-y on the subject and so he almost skipped after Gwenna through the drizzle.

"What do you think it is?" he wondered loudly. But Gwenna was frowning! What was she worried about? She'd done great!

He arrived at the other Gazebo and stood a bit to close to Professor Onuris. The tickling anxiety he would normally feel was still there, humming but he didn't notice it. He had space to enjoy the personal attention from their cool new teacher.

"What's up?" he chirped.

The other students went about sorting themselves into pairs, while the three of them entered the relative privacy of the other gazebo. Rain continued to fall across the grounds - its multitudes of trickling sounding off soothingly in the forest beyond. Sylvain considered the two third years seriously: something was wrong with Sellaphix.

He drew his wand. "Finite incantetum," a vague gesture in over Frank's head.

"Bien." The Frenchman paused to allow that to settle, before he continued with his objective. "Mister Sellaphix. Will you please explain your behaviour to me? And to your classmate, who you have endangered?"

Sylvain gestured from the boy towards Gwenna, as he sat on one of the benches. "You are third years only so I will not punish you. But understand: handling creatures is dangerous, oui? If Miss Trevelyan were handling something else or if you had been more disruptive, you could have harmed her. Or the creatures. Or your other classmates. To risk yourself is easy, to risk others... non."

Frank suddenly went cold. He might have actually gone a shade of blue as the warmth and illusion of the Cheering Charms evaporated away. His eyes wide as the reality of the moment set in.

He was in trouble. Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry, don't cry. Too late.

Tears welled up in Frank's eyes and his voice shook.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to. I was, um," Merlin, this was embarrassing. When would sweet Death take him?

"I don't like bees - actually, no, I'm afraid of bees. I couldn't - Eirene cast a Cheering Charm because I asked." He wiped his eyes. He barely glanced at Gwenna, horrified to be crying in front of her. And the Professor.

"I didn't mean to get you killed. I'm so sorry."

He was relieved that the Professor wasn't going to punish him. The catastrophe of it!

She was...not in trouble?  Gwenna's brows knitted together as Professor Onuris began to speak, his attention focused on Frank.  Usually, Gwenna had been the one on the wrong end of a lecture: at home, at school, and nearly everywhere in between.  This situation -- standing there as her classmate was sternly scolded for endangering her -- was not a predicament that she had experienced before.

She shifted awkwardly next to Frank, not sure if she should feel smug that the Ravenclaw had gotten in trouble for nearly making her mess up, or embarrassed that he was crying. 

As her classmate tearfully apologized, her eyes darted over to him, and then she glanced away again, shuffling her feet.  Was she supposed to say something?  Accept his apology?  Or was she supposed to be serious about the situation, like Professor Onuris?

Gwenna gave a noncommittal shrug, her gaze flickering to Professor Onuris, as if to check in with the Care of Magical Creatures professor to make sure she was doing the right thing.  Seeing Frank in tears made her feel worse than when her little brother started to cry.  She desperately wanted to go back to feeling sad about the poor bees.

Non! He had made a student cry! Sylvain watched poor little Sellaphix as he blubbered and apologised, clearly not having meant any harm to his classmate or the bees. It was unfortunate but at least Frank would not be in a hurry to forget the lesson behind his blunder.

             "I didn't mean to get you killed. I'm so sorry."

It looked to him like Trevelyan, awkward as she was, understood and accepted this. Professor Onuris place a hand on the boy's shoulder, patting as reassuringly as he could.

"If you are ever so afraid that you believe you might hurt someone, you must say so. Know your limits," he smiled and stood straighter with a glance at the other gazebo where honey collecting was underway. "I will cast a full body protection charm on you, oui? And maybe it is better you do not taste the honey today."

He could do it with the fourth years next lesson, when he wasn't so emotional maybe. Sylvain drew his wand and made a gesture with it over Frank's head. Golden sparks fell over him, fading at his muddy shoes. It was time to return to the class. He waited a moment for them to compose themselves.

"We go back now. Come." Sylvain indicated they walk ahead of him, "Miss Trevelyan, you will help anyone who needs a partner yes?"

The tears had ended as quickly as they came, a moment of intense emotion was ameliorated with Gwenna's indifferent shrug and the Professor's patient way of talking.

Oh no. He'd forgotten that he'd have to go back to the beehives without the Cheering Charm. His eyes grew wide again as the Professor laid a kind hand on his shoulder.

"Thanks." A protection charm. Even though Frank trusted the experienced wizard's cast, he still felt a sense of dread. He could either push through and learn a thing or two, or compound his embarrassment by asking to be excused. The latter was just slightly more terrifying than the former so he nodded resolutely.

"Yes, sir."

He trooped back across the lawns and with a few seconds hesitation, stepped up into the hives' gazebo.

"You have to levitate the frame with care, Mairead! Not willy nilly! I'll get stung!"

Eirene hissed at her partner, holding the spatula and the jar as far away from her body as her arms would stretch. The bees didn't scare her, exactly, but she disliked the sheer noise and commotion of them. She frowned, concentrating. Eirene blinked rapidly every time a bug came near her face.

Scraping honey into the jar, she jumped when a drop slowly slid onto her hand. Ew!

But wait. Not ew. It was just honey.

It was just honey, Eirene repeated to herself. Not mud, or dirt, or something really gross from Defense class. Honey.

Eirene glanced every so often at the other gazebo, worried about Frank. He'd interrupted the class a little too loudly, but surely that wasn't his fault. It wasn't her fault! Casting a cheering charm on him had to be better than watching him hover on the outskirts, too afraid to participate.

Right?

She hoped the lovely professor wouldn't deduct points! Ravenclaw couldn't take any more embarrassment since last year's point debacle!

"Fraaaank!"

Eirene hiss-whispered as he appeared with Gwenna and Professor Onuris. Why was his nose a bit pink?

She bugged her eyes out at him and jerked her chin in a gesture that said 'come here'.

"What happened with the professor? Are you alright? Did he-

-Mairead! The frame!"

"I AM" Mairead grunted through clenched teeth. 

Okay.  They all needed to take a step back and take a tally of the day's events.  Mairead had been nice and encouraging and had even gotten a younger year to volunteer to demonstrate.   So far, she hadn't caused any trouble (which, really, was worthy of note.)

The Ant Palace, in contrast, had fraternized with a younger year, cast uninstructed charms and set a younger year up to cry.  Perfect.  Little.  Eirene.  Had caused all this trouble. 

Mairead had caused none. 

And, yet, Eirene was still acting like she knew best and needed to tell Mairead what to do.  Acting like Mairead was the one causing the mischief.

"Ye tryin' to get him in trouble, again?" Mairead quipped at her partner. 

Mairead leaned towards this Frank and dropped her voice.  "I wouldn' trust her if I was ye."  With wide eyes, Mairead nodded in a knowing fashion.  "Ye know those students thats always gots to be best?  So much that they'd step on e'ryone else t'get there?  That's her.  She'll make ye look bad so she looks better when compared.  Ye know?" 

"-Mairead! The frame!"

Alright.  This time, Mairead hadn't been paying attention.  While she'd been chatting with this Frank, Mairead's wand hand had strayed up.  And up.  Until the honey-filled frame had been dangling, drippingly, over Eirene's head. 

It was too funny.  "What?  Can't ye reach?" Mairead laughed.  "If ye open yer mouth, maybe some'll drip in.  Like sweet snowflakes."

Frank opened his mouth to answer Eirene when she asked what had gone down, but closed it up quick to keep a close eye on the honeycomb frame that Mairead had hovering. He was much less nervous with Professor Sylvain's special shield, but it would still be good to keep his head low and not distract the fourth years.

"I'll tell you later," he whispered.

But then Mairead was telling him things. Strange things! In the three years Frank had been at Hogwarts, he'd not known what to make of the red-haired, thorny, Gryffindor girl. He wouldn't dare judge her, but something about her seemed a chaotic. And now she was talking to him. Um?

"What!" he looked back and forth between Eirene and Mairead for a moment, then leaned in towards Mairead conspiratorially. "What? She wouldn't - oh you're dripping!"

Mairead was dripping! Frank stepped back and batted at a particularly big bee, caught himself, and clutched his hands close to his body once more. But what Mai had said, he hadn't forgotten - would Eirene do that? She wouldn't! Would she?

"Stay out of it!" Eirene hissed back at Mairead, her eyes bugging out as the Gryffindor proceeded to tell Frank horrible, untrue, inaccurate falsehoods about her! Though Mairead lowered her voice, Eirene caught the gist of it over the buzzing of the bees.

Frank was in her House! They shared the same house points! There was no reason for her to want him to do badly! Also, she refrained from sabotaging the Slytherins because Noriko was a Slytherin, which meant she was a very good person indeed!

"Frank!"

Her eyebrows drew together in worry. Don't believe her, Frank!

Then, the honey dripped. Onto. Her. Hair.

Eirene let out an enraged squeal and swiped at her braids, hearing the bees buzzing excitedly around her head.

Mairead mocked her, but she looked up, unable to focus on her taunts. Eirene shifted the spatula, holding the jar and the spatula in one hand as she fished for her wand with the other.

"If you don't stop it," she warned, caught between wanting to hex her and knowing that would doom them all.

A drop of honey landed on her face.

With a flourish, Eirene waved her wand at the frame, trying to lower it closer to the jar in her hand. She could do both! She didn't need Mairead!

The frame rattled in protest. The bees buzzed louder.

"Oh yeah - right," Mairead said as her mouth drew flat in a serious, down-trodden, sympathetic and knowing look of complete, utter knowingness.  Yep.  That really had been a total mistake, letting that frame drift astray.  "Totally right," she said quietly.  "Best t'be careful.  Don' want te rile any beasts or bees." 

Which, apparently, it was too late for that.  One might say the beast was getting just a wee bit riled.  Really, it was kind of an interesting turn of events.  Mairead was really, usually not the logical and collected one of the two.  "Honest mistake!  Sorry, Ms. Eirene.  Got distracted helpin' the wee ones!" 

But, that could definitely work to her benefit.  If she could just stay calm and collected, she could totally reap the benefits of this. 

"Jus' speakin me mind," Mairead offered, in a (fake) conciliatory tone while she raised her free hand in mock surrender.  With her other hand she redirected her wand in an attempt to bring the frame down to its proper position.  "Didn' realize our conversation had t' meet the Pre-prefect seal of approval."  Mairead had already resigned herself to the fact that Eirene was probably a shoe-in for a Ravenclaw prefect spot. 

Fifth year was going to suck.  Especially with OWLs around the corner. 

"Frank!" Mairead said, her voice softer but otherwise a perfect replica of Eirene's warning tone.   With a sly grin, the Gryffindor glanced down at Frank and winked. 

Then Eirene squealed.  And started flapping like a crazed flamingo.  And pulled out her wand in a beautifully dramatic breakdown.  All which was making it even more difficult for Mairead to put the frame where it should be.  "Will ye stop it!  Yer workin' against me.  Were suppos' to be a team."   

As Mairead watched her, another idea occurred to her.  What if Mairead earned house points in this class and Eirene just earned a detention!  Merlin, would anything else ruin the Ravenclaw's day more?

Bees were humming and disaster was brewing and this was coming from one who very much enjoyed the early signs of disaster.  The hard part would be to make sure, from the outside, it looked entirely like Eirene's doing. 

"Look - they just all gonna go nuts if ye keep tuggin' against me," Mairead said through gritted teeth.  "I don' wanna wap ye in the face and I don't wanna start a bee-war - so I'm gonna let go.  If ye just put it down we can start over."  As promised, Mairead released the spell.  But, not before giving the frame just the slightest, most subtle shove forward so that, with luck, Eirene's own spell would over compensate in the other direction. 

Eirene stared at Mairead, eyes narrowed. Mairead kept winking and grinning at Frank as if Eirene couldn't see. What were they up to? He'd better not believe her! Ravenclaw needed to stand together to defeat the troublesome Gryffindors and tame the noisy bees.

"You stop it! You're the one making the frame float higher!" Eirene snapped, muttering spells under her breath as she waved her wand over her head, extremely annoyed by her classmate's logical tone.

Another drop of honey landed on her forehead.

Wait.

Logical? Mairead?

Her annoyance morphed into confusion as Mairead outlined a plan. She was so taken aback that when Mairead let go, Eirene's grip on her wand loosened, her concentration on the levitation spell faltered, and the frame, for some odd reason, floated downward then jerked forward...

in Mairead and Frank's direction.

"I'm not!" Mairead countered, almost completely truthfully.  Of course, with Eirene's interference, it was impossible to tell which wand was generating which movement. 

So, with even a bit more honesty, Mairead was actually able to elaborate.  "This is why yer not supposed t'be castin' too.  I donno what's me own doin or what's you?  If ye don' want help then let's-" 

Before Mairead could finish, a honey and wax-filled bee hive frame was hurtling towards them.  It was on a definitive collision course for Mairead and Frank.  With only a split second at hand to decide on a course of action, Mairead stepped in front of Frank and in the frame's direct flight path.

There was, admittedly, a touch of altruism in her self-sacrifice.  Mairead liked to stir trouble and goad goody-two-shoe-know-it-alls like Eirene but she didn't actually want Frank to get hurt or traumatized.  He appeared to possess the humility that Eirene seemed to lack. 

But, getting splattered with wax and honey was a small price to pay for the opportunity to further illustrate Eirene's string of mistakes. 

Standing squarely in front of Frank, Mairead lifted her arm to shield her face with the crook of her elbow as the frame hurtled towards her. 

This had all the makings of epic suppertime gossip.  She might even get a medal for her self-sacrifice.  Mairead!  Protector of Third Years against the dark forces of bookworms.

He was helping a pair of Slytherins with a very ill-cast levitation charm when he heard someone emit an angry little squeal. Sylvain glanced up immediately, frowning in their direction, in time to spot ó Fearghail's dangling hive frame attempting to be brought under control by a flustered looking Antonopoulos.

It was never wise to coddle children right away, so he finished helping his present pair first. And anyway it looked like the Gryffindor was lowering the frame.  The bees in the gazebo were buzzing loudly at the general upset of inept hands stealing their honey.

Sylvain was just turning towards the increasingly noisy witches when he realised that both girls had drawn their wands in what looked like a very strange struggle over control for the hive - he had his own wand in his hand at the ready, casting a speedy levitation spell of his own over the heads of his pupils --

-- the frame halted inches away from Mairead and Frank, still dripping with its strangely tinted honey. His breath was caught in his chest. The poor bees! Imagine if their hive had cracked or split?

"Focus on your own tasks!" he called out to the other students, some whom had been distracted by this commotion. "Move slowly and calmly, remember."

Following his own advice and still keeping a hold of the frame, Sylvain carefully made his way towards the conflicted trio; it disappointed him to see Frank involved. The boy was doomed around these creatures. When he was close enough, the professor ignored them for a moment in favour of replacing the frame back to its hive.

The bees aggressively followed his movements, glancing off his protection charm as they buzzed in his ears.


"Bien," he muttered as it slotted into position with a satisfying click. "We step back now. You have disturbed them enough, non?" Sylvain gestured for them to move away from the hive, upon which a cloud of the bees were now descending. "What is the matter? What has happened?"

His glance settled on Eirene, decidedly, because she had been on the other end of the interaction. "Miss Antonopoulos? You will explain?"