If only Jacoba's first visit to Hogwarts - or the grounds at least - had occurred at a more opportune time.  She would have, of course, marveled at this place that, unbeknownst to her, had housed her brother for the last several years.  She couldn't remember seeing the castle during her few trips to Hogsmeade, though she'd been reassured it was visible - once you knew where to look for it.  It had come into view about the time Isaac had led her up the path across the grounds, its massive towers pushing up into the sky. 

She knew she wasn't supposed to be here and they were practicing careful discretion as a result.  Under special circumstances, family members were allowed entrance (even muggle ones) but there were few who really knew the full extent of the current circumstances.  But, as it was, her mind was miles away from either the inappropriateness of the visit or the splendor of the school.  It was fully fixed on finding any clues - any details about her brother's whereabouts. 

Her grandmother's house had turned up nothing.  There was no sign of him, only the eager expectation of seeing him, again, over the holidays.  Jacoba had yet to hear anything from Dreogan so the assumption was the same there - nothing useful had turned up at her parents' place.  This was the last obvious step.  Meeting with his classmates and finding out if any of them had heard or seen anything that might offer clues.  Or, at least, in some way discredit whatever terrifying images had been in Dreogan's mirror. 

With Isaac's help, Jacoba had managed to find her way on the school grounds and to the small cabin where the school doctor - or whatever they'd called her - lived.  It had been deemed the safest and most discrete place to talk to any classmates as it didn't require traipsing through the castle proper;;;.  With the help of house elves (seeing them in person formally convinced Jacoba they were nothing like Orlando Bloom), notes had been dissipated to any friends or classmates that might have been made privy to where Sasha might have gone. 

The Healer was a strange and unexpected source of ... well, not comfort - there was little comfort to be found in the current situation - but, perhaps, relief.  She was proving to be reassuring in her own way and had, apparently, been an Auror back in the day.  Most importantly, the Eleors both seemed to think very highly of her.  Everyone seemed confident in her willingness to help discretely, without running to the Ministry. 

Waiting was, undoubtedly, the hardest part about this whole exercise.  She was far too edgy, far too jumpy to just be sitting there, watching a big, brown eagle preening his feathers.  It was only marginally preferable to staring at the door, waiting for someone to come walking through who would, hopefully, have all the answers.  But, finally, the waiting produced some results.  The door creaked open and Jacoba quickly pushed herself to her feet. 

Peyton had nodded off in the Ravenclaw common room. With midterms around the corner and OWLs off on the horizon he had been pulling extra shifts just to get all his homework done. The piles of it were disconcerning, he never imagined having so much homework and was kind of annoyed with himself for not getting into a routine of doing his work regularily in his previous years. He knew his fifth year was going to be tough but this was ridiculous. He had to do it though, there was no way he was going to let Bombay take him off the Quidditch team again.

He had been awoken by the loud cracking pop of a house elf apparating right in front of him. Peyton woke with a start and stared at the little creature. He cocked his head to the side trying to wipe the sleep out of his eyes and figure out why there was now a house elf standing in front of him but before he could do anything further a note was thrust into his hand and the little elf disappeared again. Peyton stared after it for a few more moments before turning his attention back to the note. As his cool grey blue eyes scanned over the unrecognizable scrawl he became more and more awake.

As the importance and ominous feeling of the letter washed over him he jumped up from his armchair scattering quill and rolls of parchment all over the floor. He ignored his homework grabbed his travel cloak and raced out of the common room. With his tall lean stature it didn't take him long to make it down from the Ravenclaw tower and out onto the Hogwarts grounds. He was headed straight for the Hospital Hut and opened the door without any pretext of knocking. It just hadn't occured to him to be courteous. He stared at the rather normal looking bruinette standing in the middle of Tulojow's hut.

"Um hi." He greeted rather lamely. He had a feeling that his haste had been wasted but when he looked at the older (and by only a few years by the looks of her) bruinette again he had a feeling that he had acted rather appropriately to the summons, "I'm Peyton, Sasha's roommate."

outfit

 Fergie sat on the edge of his bed in his dorm room, peering down into the interior of his open trunk. He hadn't paid much attention to it lately, and the result was that his things were piled up inside in a crowded, jumbled mess. Yes, this was definitely what he ought to do with his afternoon. Clean. Not think about how Sasha would more than likely avoid speaking to him ever again, even when he did get back from his (completely unwarranted, Fergie was one hundred percent certain) suspension, or how he still had to tell Neely that he had gone and kissed her boyfriend, and how much she was going to hate him. Focusing on either of those problems made his stomach twist into anxious knots, and he preferred his intestines to remain untangled, thank you. He had a trunk to reorganize and dust bunnies to exile from their spot beneath his bed - there was no time left for the intangible problems cluttering up his life.

 Or at least, he hadn't thought there was. But that was before a house elf showed up and presented him with a note written in a hand he did not recognize - although the word 'Sasha' in the first sentence certainly caught his attention. Accepting the slip of paper, his eyes swept curiously over the brief missive. Then he paused, brow furrowed, lips pursed, and read it again. It was from Sasha's sister. But...what was she doing at Hogwarts? She was a muggle. And she needed information on Sasha's whereabouts? But...that would mean that she didn't know where he was. And she had to know that. Surely the Ravenclaw would have at least written to her.

 But apparently not. Otherwise what was she doing here, and why would she send him this note? There was only one way to find out. Fergie hopped to his feet and slipped the piece of paper into his pocket, grabbing his coat and putting it on as he made for the door. In a short while, the Slytherin found himself approaching the hospital hut just in time to see Peyton duck inside.

 Fergie quickly followed, almost running into the Ravenclaw as he stepped inside the hut. He paused, smoothing down his hair and allowing his eyes to adjust to the change in light, and looked around. "Are you...Jacoba?" he asked, surveying the girl in the middle of the room curiously, trying to find a family resemblance. She was certainly tall like her brother, taller than Fergie by an inch or two, but her hair was dark. "I got a note, and I... You don't know where Sasha is?" This seemed like the most important thing to establish, at least for the time being. "He didn't go home?"

The door swung open and the first of two young men hurried inside the building, drawing Jacoba's attention away from the large bird.  Worry and fear still drew the edges of her eyes tight but she looked at the young man with, perhaps, a little too desperate eagerness.  They were running out of options.  Running out of places that would make the scene in the mirror an avoidable future. 

"'Allo," Jacoba offered in return to Peyton just as another young man stepped into the room after him.  Unlike Peyton, the second boy didn't identify himself.  "I ... yes.  I'm Jacoba, Sasha's sister."  It was becoming quickly apparent that neither of these young men knew where Sasha was.  The confusion in both their faces was just as plain as it had been in Dreogan's.  It was quickly becoming obvious they didn't know any specifics about where Sasha might have gone. 

Jacoba glanced at the dark haired boy and shook her head, running her hands through her hair.  "No.  We don't," she admitted.  "He didn't go home or to anyone we can think of.  Actually ... no one's seen or heard from him since he was suspended.  We're just ... trying to find and follow any leads."  For all they knew, his classmates may have information about some hideaway that neither Jacoba nor Dreogan was aware of.  "Do either of you know any place he might go?  Anyone he's mentioned he might go to?  I know he's foolish enough to be embarrassed by this whole stupid suspension thing so he could be hiding anywhere."  Right now, that was their best bet.  "I just - any clues.  Any ideas you might have.  They'd be really appreciated."

Isaac had spent the morning hoping the day would not turn into a free-for-all.  If Snark found out he had brought Jacoba to Hogwarts he was quite certain she would not be pleased.  He had taken her to the hospital hut, leaving her safely with Tulo while he went back to Hogsmeade to do some of his own poking around.  There were a few acquaintances there that usually seemed to be aware of the latest happenings in the village.  It had turned up nothing though, much to his own dismay, but one had assured him that he would contact Isaac should he hear anything.

Trudging back towards the hospital hut, he had arranged for coffee and Danishes to be brought from the kitchen.  As much as he didn’t like relying on the house elves for things, it would be the easiest.  The requested items were probably already there, and he was fairly certain that there would probably also be at least a few of the students Jacoba had sent notes to already at the hut.  He was trying not to imagine rumors running wild through the school.

He had told himself multiple times that he was helping Jacoba because he was concerned for Sasha’s safety and nothing more.  Yet, he knew that wasn’t really the entire reason and he was now trying to prevent his usual internal monologue of negativity directed at himself.  She was a few years older then his students and the sister of one of them, allowing himself to see her as more then a simple acquaintance and occasional drinking partner was not a wise idea.

Slowly opening the door, he stepped around the two young men who were already inside, closing the door behind him.  He looked at Jacoba for a moment before shaking his head in the negative that he hadn’t managed to find out anything of use.  He hated the uselessness he felt.  They had spent the previous day searching and nothing seemed to work in their favor.

I just - any clues.  Any ideas you might have.  They'd be really appreciated.

“Even what might have seemed like the most insignificant detail at the time might prove helpful now,” he added.  Moving towards the kitchen area and added, “I had some coffee and breakfast Danishes sent over…Does anyone want anything while I’m in there?”

outfit

Neely was confused to Azkaban and back, but she had decided this was Very Important Business and thus required a change of clothes. Making the elf who had summoned her wait outside of the common room while she freshened up and collected the letter Sasha had written, the Slytherin tried not to let the butterflies devour her stomach. Something was wrong. She'd known it for a while now, because Sasha was the least likely person in the universe (or any alternative universe) to be suspended. But now she was less worried about why he'd been sent away from school, and more worried about how he was coping. The reply owl had been strangely... calm. Confident. Charismatic in a way that was not Sasha-Charismatic, but more like a boy who had had girlfriends in the past. (Inanimate objects and comic book characters not counting).

As she approached the Hospital Hut, elf in tow, the butterflies only flapped harder. Weren't butterflies supposed to be delicate and elegant? God golly, they were as annoying as Figaro Sellaphix!

She smoothed a small palm over her hair and raised a fist to knock on Tulo's door, before thinking better of it. Now was no time to knock. Neely instead twisted the knob and pressed into the frame, peaking through a small crack to make sure all as safe. For all she knew, she'd been summoned not by the good guys, but by whichever child mature teen snatcher had taken Sasha.

When her eyes landed in Jacoba, however, she felt the butterflies give her a minuscule break. Sighing, she crossed the threshold and offered a somber smile to the darker-featured sister of her boyfriend. "Jacoba! I'm so glad you're here-- I've got something to show you." The words poured from her mouth in a quick babble before she realized Peyton and Fergie were there, too. She offered Peyton and nod, and Fergie and endearing but slightly confused smile.

Peyton crossed the room and took up a mug of coffee and a danish in an attempt to settle his flip flopping stomach. Not only was it distressing that no one seemed to know where Sasha was but Peyton had a habit of getting odd stomach aches and flutters around his Muggle Studies Professor. He chomped away on his danish listening to the concern in Fergie's voice. Peyton hadn't been aware that Sasha was even friends with the Slytherin. It was a strange thought considering how close he always thought he was with Sasha, then again since he started dating/not aware of dating Neely things had gotten a little weird.

Peyton shrugged lightly, "I assumed he would have gone home, or at the very least gone to see you Jacoba." He knew that Sasha's older sister had been ousted from the family and had been living in London as of late although he didn't know all the details. As close as they were Sasha wasn't always one to tell all the details of his life even to his best friends.

"Do you think he's in trouble?" Peyton's own voice was laced with a similar concern to that of Fergie's. He couldn't stand the thought of his best friend being taken away, or never getting to see him again. He nodded to Neely in return when she entered and was easily curious about what she had with her. He moved closer to the group although the flutters in his stomach seemed to increase his curiosity was winning out.

 He really wasn't sure why he'd asked - of course it was Jacoba. It was just surprising, that was all, for her to be there. And, to be honest, he'd sort of hoped that there was some mistake behind all this. Or a joke. Not that he knew why anyone would joke about that, but it would remove his need to worry. "I'm Ferguson. Sasha's-" Friend? He hesitated, doubting that applied now, after what had happened before the Ravenclaw had left the school. "...classmate," he decided on, after a moment. That was just simpler.

 No.  We don't.

 Definitely not a joke, then. Fergie felt an anxious knot forming in his stomach as the dark haired girl continued speaking. How could they... how could they not know where Sasha was? The Slytherin shook his head and blinked, moving over to the nearest chair and lowering himself into it.

 Rather than being reassured by the realization, upon his entrance, that Professor Fraiser was involved, this only served to increase his concern. If the school was involved in the search, then this was really...serious. Not that it wouldn't be anyway, it wasn't like Sasha was a missing puppy. They couldn't just put up posters asking if anyone had seen him and leave it at that. But that was what it took for things to start sinking in.

 "I think that's what we all assumed - that he went home." Fergie nodded at Peyton's statement, frowning thoughtfully. "Did you ask around Hogsmeade? He was headed in that direction, from what I've heard. Someone will have seen him there." That was slightly comforting. How many tall, blond German kids in Ravenclaw uniform wandered around the village outside of school sanctioned weekends? Sasha would have stuck out like a sore thumb. Especially with - oh!

 "Bruises!" He exclaimed, more loudly than he'd meant to. Blushing slightly, he bit his lip and explained. "He had, um, bruises. On his face. Happened the day before he left." It wasn't exactly a lead, but... "Maybe that would help, when you ask if anyone's seen him."

Jacoba! I'm so glad you're here-- I've got something to show you.

 He was distracted from the question Wentworth had posed by the entrance of Neely. Of course - Fergie should have realized the blonde would be there. If Sasha had written to anybody, it'd be his girlfriend, right? And, that had to be what the slip of parchment she was holding was. A letter from Sasha. He felt his stomach flip flop uneasily and the color rush back to his face, wondering what all that letter revealed, if it was one... but was put at ease, at least a little, by the confused smile she gave him. Whatever was on that parchment, it clearly had nothing to do with what he'd done. He was safe - for now, at least.

Hope, eagerness and expectation blossomed on Jacoba's face as the door creaked open and Isaac stepped inside.  But, the wave of optimism didn't last long; the shake of the man's was all she needed to see.  With a long sigh, her chest deflated and she rested her head in her hands for a moment. 

"Yeah - anything at all.  Someone he might have mentioned knowing outside of school.  Or a place.  Anything."  No matter how far fetched.  Any clue - any idea would, at the very least, give her something else to do or someplace else to go.  It would mean the trail wouldn't end here.  For better or worse, whatever uselessness Isaac might be feeling, she shared it whole-heartedly.  "I ... could use some coffee." 

"Classmate?"  Jacoba glanced up at Fergie, curiously.  Presumably, the young man was here because he was a friend.  Right?  There weren't many others here who were simply 'classmates.'  In fact, there was a best friend, a girlfriend and ... Ferguson.  The classmate.  "Isaac just came from Hogsmeade.  There was nothing."  Jacoba gave Isaac a pointed look.  So, Sasha had been seen leaving for Hogsmeade but no one saw him get there.  Her attention shot back to Fergie.  "Bruises?" she repeated then, added, suspiciously.  "Why did he have bruises?" 

Isaac's entrance was quickly followed by a familiar face.  Jacoba offered Neely a slight smile before her gaze shifted to the page in the girl's hand.  "What do you have?"  Jacoba pushed herself quickly to her feet and approached Neely, reaching for the page.  "I, we ... we don't know," was all Jacoba could offer Peyton at first.  Blind optimism kept encouraging her to believe he wasn't - that they just hadn't found the right place to look, yet.  But, as each possibility turned up empty, Dreogan's vision in the mirror seemed to gain more and more credibility. 

"A friend of ours did some ... scrying?" she glanced at Isaac just to make sure she'd gotten the word right.  "He saw Sasha and ... there was indication he might be in trouble.  But, apparently, ... well, I don't really get it."  Something about the time not being right or them not knowing and it not being exact.  Hopefully, Isaac understood all of that better.  "I ... Dreogan saw Sasha in some hall with Christmas trees and marble pillars and stair cases.  He ... was with a man with a scarred face.  Does that ... strike any bells?" 

Isaac nodded at the request for coffee as he went to get himself a mug as well.  On the way back to the Hospital Hut a dull aching had began in his head, probably the product of all of the stress of the past two days.  He was hoping a bit of caffeine would help, and that one of the kids might have something useful to share.  A moment later he brought Jacoba a mug of coffee before taking a sip of his own.

“A friend of mine, one of the residents, is going to do some further asking around for me,” he said when she mentioned he had been to Hogsmeade.  “If anyone did see Sasha he’ll let me know immediately.”

When Fergie mentioned bruises his eyes also shot directly to the Slytherin student.  He hadn’t seen Sasha since sometime on the eighteenth, the news of the missing teen having visible bruises coming as a surprise to him.  There were of course several usual suspects who might have been the cause, but he wasn’t sure if that information would be able to aid them in their search.  It was a bit disturbing though that if any of the other staff had noticed the bruise that it seemed nothing had been done about it.

Neely had brought a piece of parchment with her, and he hoped it was maybe some word from Sasha.  At least if someone had heard from him it meant the worst hadn’t happened, and he would at least be able to take a little comfort in that.  It meant he was out there and that with a little luck they would find him.

“Scrying isn’t an exact science,” he said filled in, although the students would likely already be well aware of that fact.  “It’s at least given us a description of who he might be with, but we can’t pin point the location.  Did Sasha ever mention anyone who fits this description?  Or anyone else for that matter he might have met that you hadn’t heard him talk about before?”

If either Fergie or Peyton showed any signs of uneasiness, they went unnoticed by Neely, who focused her attention on Jacoba after greeting the group. "It's a letter! From Sasha!" She gave it a little jitter as she handed it off to his sister. "He sounds-- well, I'll let you read it." She didn't know what the word was. Weird? Oddly calm? Not particularly... worried in the Sasha-y way she'd expected? She couldn't pin it down, really. But there was definitely an edge to it, something new or something missing.

"We're back together," she offered in a quick mumble, casting down her lashes at the parchment, and then looking back up at Jacoba, and smiling somewhat coyly. "I just hope he's alright... He wouldn't lie about what's going on, right? Someone must have done something to him!"

Already, the Slytherin's melodramatic mind was turning, its wheels freshly greased by the presence of these Important People at the Covert Meeting. One of the school's most dashing professors and a muggle? This was serious.

Backing away for a moment, Neely smoothed her skirt and leaned toward Fergie, lightly grabbing his arm. "They don't think he's terribly hurt, do they?" She whispered, not asking him why he was there. The fear in her voice outweighed her curiosity.

Unlike some of those around him Peyton was completely unphased by the fact that Sasha had bruises. Peyton knew that Sasha had fallen victim to the likes of Callum Knight on more then one occasion. Having been the young man's room mate for over four years now it wasn't exactly strange for Sasha to come into the dorm room with a black eye or something of the like. Likewise Peyton knew that the young German would be equally unphased by him coming into their room with a black eye and a fat lip given the Brit's penchant for getting into fights with Xavier Tawse.

Further fighting a flip flopping stomach Peyton stayed quiet as he munched on one of the proffered danishes. It wasn't that he didn't think he should be there. In a way he was actually honoured that Jacoba had asked him to come. It was simply that he had nothing to offer them. He had always considered Sasha to be his best mate and thought Sasha felt the same way about him. Why couldn't he think of somewhere the tall blonde would have gone after leaving school? Why hadn't he sent him a letter like Fergie and Neely had? Did that make Peyton a bad friend?

He closed his eyes in hopes of keeping the nausea that had risen up in his stomach from causing him to hurl all over Tulojow's carpet. He wanted to move forward and read the letter that Neely had been waving around, if anyone knew if Sasha wasn't acting like himself it's be him right? After all he was still his best mate right? Unfortunately even thinking about moving caused another wave of nausea to wash over him and he hung his head slightly. Rowena help him, why did he always get sick around Professor Frasier? And why was the thought of Sasha being all weird and not acting like himself causing the same sort of nausea to take him over?

"Sasha not being worried, about anything, is really weird."