Declan had just apprehended three Slytherin students who were causing quite the commotion in the hallways. The Slytherin house had just passed Ravenclaw in points, and he was not looking forward to having to handle the situation, and was thinking on the walk to his office the best way to handle it without punishing all of Slytherin for the stupidity of a handful of students.

"Sit down," he ordered the students when they reached his office.

He took his own seat behind his desk, and studied each of the boys carefully. "Are any of you aware of the hard work your classmates have put in to earn those points to finally surpass Ravenclaw?" Declan asked. "It is no simple feat to gain such a lead in the house points, and I have been very proud of your housemates. And that the three of you would so stupidly get into a duel in the hallway astounds me- especially with so many witnesses. Imagine if one of the other professors had found you. Do you have any idea the number of points that you could have lost if the wrong person found you?" Declan asked.

"Fortunately, I find it unfair to punish your entire house because the three of you are too stupid to keep your wands in your pockets." His Slytherin was really showing at this point. "Now I want Mr. Connor- and only Mr. Connor- to explain to me what the hell just happened in that hallway."

Natrally, Vulpes followed Professor O Morain dutifully to his office. They were probably in enough trouble as it was, and defying the deputy headmaster was never a good idea.  He sat when ordered, hunching his shoulders slightly, hands folded on his lap. Trying his best not to shake, Vulpes flinched slightly when he was singled out.

He nodded slowly, swallowing a lump in his throat. "Yes, sir," he managed, voice shaking slighty. Vulpes kept his eyes straight ahead as he began recounting what happened. "Well, we had all started congregating around the hourgasses, Casey mentioned that he had earned a good twenty of the points." Vulpes swallowed again before continuing. "The he asked if I had gotten any points from Muggle Studies. That was when Morvin made a rather rude sounding comment about my taking the subject, and I told him to take it up with someone who cared."

"Then Pax showed up and congratulated us for grabbing first. I thanked him, but shot Morvin a rather pointed look.Then Morvin shot a stunning spell at one of us, I'd assume myself since even though I blocked it, it pushed me back a few feet. It was just sort of a reaction, I thought he was aiming for Pax at the time."

"Then, I guess seeing that the spell failed, Morvin aimed blasting curse at me, but Pax intercepted it. Things sort of go blurry for me until you arrived, sir. I was more worried about Pax than anything else."

"He mentioned that, did he?" Declan asked. "I certainly don't remember hearing of Casey earning quite so many points.[1] Bragging without cause is often enough to land someone in hot water," he commented, eyeing the third year.

He was not surprised that Muggle Studies seemed to have instigated the argument. Mostly because he knew that a lot of the purebloods in Slytherin were still old fashioned. Had things gone differently in his life, no doubt that Declan would be just as close minded. But he had been forced to outgrow that way of thinking. Not that he had anything against it, but there was a time and a place.

"I am proud of you for going out of your way to protect a first year," he said to Vulpes. "Hufflepuff or not, it's an admirable thing to do, and the appropriate thing to do. I have been attempting to teach more about house unity and school unity in some of my own lessons, and I'm glad to see you displaying it. For this reason, I will not deduct any points for your actions... They will cancel each other out, so to speak," Declan said.

"Now then. You two," he motioned at Casey and Morvin. "Let's hear your sides of the story."

1.	Points are awarded IC from classes, so I'm going off of this information.

Casey followed Deputy Head Declan Ó Móráin to his office with purpose and general calm, though the back of his mind was irked at the temporary confiscation of his wand. He didn't like to be apart from it. He sat, stooped but confident in one of the chairs provided. He did not blink or turn away when addressed. He listened to Vulpes' story.

Afterwards the deputy head spoke up. "He mentioned that, did he? I certainly don't remember hearing of Casey earning quite so many points. Bragging without cause is often enough to land someone in hot water."

Casey raised an eyebrow. True, that had been fiction on his part[1] and he saw the value of the Deputy Head's words. But bragging without cause about the House Points Cup? Honestly, what danger was there? Was someone going to say that they had earned the points and risk loosing them in an argument?

Ó Móráin continued after finding no fault with Vulpes. "Now then. You two, let's hear your sides of the story." Given that stare sent at him earlier about the points, Casey felt he should speak next.

"I agree with Connor's statement," Casey began crisply, the argument formulated in his head during the walk to the office. "We were in a celebratory mood at Slytherin's lead and I did pad my efforts for dramatic effect." Points awarded or not, the teachers were suitably impressed with his wand work. "I did ask Vulpes if he had been outstanding in Muggle Studies; I myself don't take the subject but I am sure his has an advantage with his prior knowledge, what with his 'head-fones' and everything. Regardless, it was all in good jest. At the time I did not know Sharp was present and then only after he had made his accusation."

"I can pick up where Connor left off. Sharp did unleash the first spell, Stupefy, and Connor justly defended himself and...Wintergreen, is it?" With his considerable skill and concentration, plus years in the Dueling Club, Casey could remember a play-by-play of the events with ease. "Sharp, for whatever reason, decided to blow up the floor for his next move with Bombarda, I believe. Perhaps to take everyone in the collateral damage. After this I decided to enter my wand in the proceedings. I had been occupied with a sign of affection from Miss Wakahisa who was moved by my half-truths. As she was clinging to me I may have moved her out of the line of fire, I can't remember. As Sharp was the bigger threat and seemed to be itching for a fight, I attempted to restrain him with Incarcerous. I also tasked one of the first years to find a professor to inform them of the quarrel as we were all witnesses. Your timely arrival made that unnecessary, sir."

Casey sat back, finished, the slightest of smug grins ready to twitch his lips.

1.	Ah, the RL affecting the game. Meant to suggest of Casey's renown "in the past" even though he was new at the time. As Casey doesn't know who got all the points he's prone to this kind of exaggeration.