Changing Rooms || Secret Blossom Ball Event Fin

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Aurelia leaves thread to Main Thread
mentions @Lydia Cooper

This is a Moderation Post.

As the party seemed to have properly started, with a sea of students that arrived in waves dividing themselves between either the inside of the Pitch or up on the Stands, not a lot of them decided to stick around for long in the Changing Rooms. Who could blame them, after all the fun was supposed to be all on the dance floor, while inside there was nothing too interesting, aside some Quidditch equipment and students’ belongings. In the girls’ changing rooms nothing too scandalous or troubled happened, aside form an Hufflepuff girl getting her hair turned blue by a Gryffindor third year, and another Hufflepuff girl still looking for someone that could help her with her make up. In the boys’ changing rooms though, the music was completely different.

A little group of students were still lingering around, most likely up to no good. @George Henry, a first year Hufflepuff, was amongst the first students to arrive, together with his friend @Jake Morris and his beloved stuffed dog Freddie. He had helped the boy getting dressed in a suit, and after that he had reassured the little badger that he wouldn’t have been left alone, since Jake was worried that once their friend @Alan Vanes would have arrived, he might have ended up by himself. The two badgers didn’t have to wait for too long, ‘cause their Gryffindor friend arrived shortly after, all dressed up in a slim-fitted wine red suit, a white dress shirt, and a black tie.

As more people filled the boys' changing rooms, a third year Ravenclaw student @Vladimir Athanatos walked through the door, a large bag slung over his back, and already dressed for the occasion. There was something off about him, especially when he walked up to Jake Morris and his group of friends. He introduced himself to them, before he spoke directly to the little badger."Been wanting to meet you all week," he said, before adding "Mind coming with me?"

Just as the same time as Vladimir had walked through the door, the new Hufflepuff Prefect @Jack Warren had joined his friends George and Jake, dressed in a spectacularly stylish baggy pastel pink suit. He as well reassured the little badger that he would have never been left alone, and promptly ignored Vladimir attempt to talking with Jake, since he knew that, after all, he was more important to the fellow badger than this stranger.

George Henry was so ready to leave the changing rooms with his friends and enter the proper party, when he noticed the older student keeping them there. George immediately went in a defensive mode, as he checked that his wand hadn't fallen out from under his kilt, and felt relieved that this time he had both Warren and Alan as backup. He bobbed his head toward Vladimir, as he studied the Ravenclaw boy. "Jake, is this your friend?" he asked to the little badger.

As for the little Scamander boy, Jake felt immediately pretty intimidated by Vladimir, as he brought his beloved Freddie to his chest. He eyed the gloved hand that extended toward him, before he finally spoke. "Um, I don't know..." Jake said shyly before letting out a little yelp as Jack Warren's hand clapped on his back; he moved closer to his friend until their sides touched. George's question seemed to bring some kind of realisation over Vladimir, that promptly apologised for having mistaken Jake with another boy, before he exited the Changing Rooms.

But as the older Ravenclaw walked away, Jake's attention got stolen by a voice that he hadn't heard in a long time. "Jake..."

"JAKE!" The voice was calling out for him, but the little badger didn't want to listen to it. It kept telling him to run, run away from the pitch and the fields, away from danger."Run Jake! Open them and run!" The voice kept telling him to open the bludger's box and release them, basically commanding him to do it. It was all too much for Jake. He started crying, feeling trapped and frail. He just wanted all of that to stop. He needed to find those bludgers and fast, so he tried to run towards where they were store.

Just as Jake was about to run away, the third year Hufflepuff Prefect, and Quidditch Player, @Quinn Healy unintentionally blocked his path, a concerned look on his face. "Jake? What's wrong with him? Is he okay?" He wasn't the only one that was worried about Jake; @Alan Vanes asked the small Hufflepuff what had happened, if Vladimir someone had done anything to him, before he answered the half-giants question. "I h-have no idea..."

At the same time as all of this happened, @Jack Burnett and @Erin Ryan had walked inside the boys' changing rooms, looking for the bludgers as well. They had a plan to release the bladgers and make sure that the students would run away from the ball, and thus save them from any possible danger that might have come for them. But their path, just as Jake's, was blocked by Quinn. Now Erin, as she saw Warren, she immediately attacked him verbally referring to the events that happened at the Masquerade Ball in October, before she sneaked past the half-giant and towards the bludgers. Of course, Warrens poke up for himself, and called the girl out for being inside the boys' locker room; he pulled put his Prefect badge and intimated Erin to leave the room.

Erin Ryan wasn't the only girl inside the boys' changing room.

@Jo Morgan had accidentally walked inside there in an attempt to run away from someone inside the Pitch. She had brought some food with her, and the moment she had seen Burnett enter, she knew she had to face him, even if there was a prefect right next to them. However, she got distracted from that by Jake's crying and she started worrying for him. She offered him her hand, and the promise of some comfort food, hoping that the gesture might have been enough to catch his attention and calm him down a little. Another girl, @Grace Mint, had walked up to Jake at the same time as Jo Morgan, but contrary to the Gryffindor girl, she actually thought that the little badger had been pulling a prank on everyone with all of his talking about bludgers.

Now, Quinn was about to ask more question to his fellow housemate, when Erin's voice made him frown and stop in his tracks. The two didn't have a good relationship, and he wondered why she so desperately wanted to move past him and get to the bludgers as well, since they were dangerous and they definitely didn't need any accident that night. George Henry decided to cut in and try to convince the older boy to let him pass, saying that he and Jake had been tasked by the organisers of the ball to retrieve the surprise that they had hidden inside the bludgers' box. This made Jake feel an overwhelming outpour of love for the bigger boy, his voice clear amongst the sea of people that were talking to him and asking him question.

Of course, the moment that Jack Burnett heard those words, he knew that the Hufflepuff boy was lying. He was even more determined to catch that box before anyone else, and if there would have been really a surprise inside, he would have simply handed it to Jake. He sighed when Warren took out his prefect badge, and with the excuse that he didn't have the time to explain everything in that moment, he tried to cast Immobilus on the Hufflepuff boy.

Jack Burnett's attempt at casting the spell

t!dice 1d20+8
The result was 14 —> Successfully casted

The Slytherin boy successfully casted the spell, but Warren had no intention of being hit by it. He dodged to the side, his hand colliding with Burnett's arm and deflecting his aim, sending the spell flying behind him and dangerously close to Quinn Healy, that ended up not being hit.

Jack Burnett's attempt at hitting Warren
t!dice 1d20+6
The result was 9
vs
Warren's attempt at dodging the spell
t!dice 1d20+8
The result was 28 —> Spell was DODGED

Quinn's attempt at dodging the spell
t!dice 1d20+2
Result was 21 —>Spell was DODGED

Grace Mint, much like Burnett, didn't believe George Henry's lie about the bludgers, and told him she would have gone with him. She then got worried for what the Slytherin boy had done, casting a spell towards a Prefect, and she got scared that she might have ended up like the Hufflepuff boy.

Erin in the meantime got jealous of Jo and her words towards Burnett, and she warned her to back off of him. The Gryffindor girl recognised the purple haired girl from the Valentine’s Day Tea Party, and a lot of thoughts and considerations about her filled her mind. She decided not to voice them, instead she choose to get her revenge over the Slytherin boy as she talked about him kissing someone else, and a certain Christmas present.

Erin though had decided to grab Jake Morris and use him as a hostage and make demands, just as @Oliver Hart, a third year Ravenclaw that had followed Erin and Burnett inside the changing rooms, moved behind her ready to protect the part-veela girl.

When Erin had grabbed him, Jake let out a yelp as he was tugged to her side; he tried to fight her and to get free, or to call for help from her friends, but fear paralysed him.

In the middle of all of this, another Hufflepuff student, @Ethen Emrys was changing in one of the stalls, and once he had exited it, and he saw all of those girls inside the boys changing room, he knew he had to do something to make them go away and to stop any kind of mischief. He decided to use a couple of small fireworks, like bottle rockets; he light them up before throwing them in the air and then ran out of the room.

Luckily the fireworks were small, so they didn’t set anything on fire, but their light had a similar effect to the Verdimillious charm.

Oliver Hart heroically tried to cast Protego over Erin, and therefore Jake, and himself with bravado, only for it to piddle out like a failed firework. Everyone that was left in the not too big boys' changing rooms up to the explosion, had the misfortune of being affected by the bright light that the fireworks emitted, and Jo Morgan even stubbed to the floor because of the explosion. The loud bang of the fireworks and the bright light they emitted overwhelmed Jake Morris as well, and if Erin’s arms wouldn't have been there, the poor little badger would have collapsed to the floor just like his beloved Freddie.


Oliver auto-fails the spell, because it's not in his trunk.

The light of the fireworks will cause a -3 accuracy in the next round to all the people currently in the Boys' Changing Rooms

The third year was waiting for the younger Hufflepuff to respond when a girl budged in and tried to figure Jake out herself, which was probably meant nicely but would probably not help in this moment at all. Alan wanted to say something but his focus was on Jake and George, as he himself tried to get smart of the situation. But the girl did not only that, but actively tried to lure the young badger away from them and sure she meant no harm, but the last person who asked Jake to go with them just moment ago had been highly suspicious and weird in the way they acted. Alan doubted Jake would even want to talk to anyone just now, he was outright panicking and the girl was talking about food!

Of course the tears that wanted to make Alan hide away attracted girls in swarms as another girl in what seemed like a wedding gown approached the small boy and pestered him with even more questions and it made Alan wonder whether it was common etiquette to swarm around a crying person. If that was the case he was glad that it had been long since he cried in a public space.

Quinn brought some sense into this madness, even though it only opened the situations for more questions. There were the bludgers, Jake was actually aiming to get towards those dangerous things but for what? "Th-The bludgers a-are here?", Alan would ask the half giant in a sorry attempt to get behind the mess, but he was not prepared for the confusion that would follow. Apparently Jack was a prefect, well the badger one was anyway and he started a fight with the other Jack, the rude one and the purple haired girl. Alan also found out through their discussion that this girl also had been kissed by Jack, the prefect Jack or the other way around... the girl had kissed him for whatever reason.

It was when George demanded to get to the box with bludgers as well, when the chaos reached its peak, at least for all Alan could have assumed. George claimed something, some sort of surprise had been hidden withing the box and Alan was not so sure what to believe. How would George know? And Jake had clearly said bludgers, right? "G-George?", he stammered in confusion as he gave his friend a glance over. What could George possibly want with those bludgers? Did he want chaos to break free? Did he assume it would make things more fun, more chaotic? He knew for a fact that George did not care much about keeping rules, which probably was the main reason he had asked Alan to accompany him anyway.

It was then when he saw the snake Jack move quickly, before casting a spell the third year knew well. "Jack-", he would exclaim and look in between the two Jacks in shock, he would mean the caster Jack, but someone could easily misinterpret it as worry for the prefect who would have been frozen into place - figuratively - if it was not for the exceptional dodge he would perform. The purple haired girl would the lounge for Jake making Alan's eyes widen in shock. But she also mentioned Parcel, he only knew one person with that name... His eyes wandered over to the non-prefect Jack who she clearly had meant with that name. "B-but-", he started 'that isn't Parcel...' is what he had wanted to say but it would remain a thought when a loud bang echoed through the room, making him flinch as specks of black surrounded his pupils until the initial shock was over and the black blended back into his natural green. A reflection perhaps? For someone who had no clue it could have easily been their imagination playing tricks in a time of shock. The blinding light that followed the bang could also easily make them miss this observation.

"Wh-What are you doing? L-Let him go-", he argued when he saw Jake frozen in fear in the purple haired girl's grasp. The little badger did not even dare defend himself anymore, petrified in fear like a mouse. "Wh-What is going on h-here....?", he muttered quietly, overwhelmed with everything happening, but to no one in particular as he narrowed his eyes. This has gone completely out of control. Why would they want the bluders? Any of them, really, why? And what did Erin want with pink suit Jack's outfit? The green Jack had his own clothes after all!

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Clothes

Shoes:

Wearing:

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Despite what anyone who might have been watching would have guessed, Jack's attempt to immobilize Jackson Warren was actually largely meant for the prefect's own benefit. If Jackson had been successfully immobilized, Erin would have had no further reason to attack him for the time being and his life could have been spared.

Unfortunately, Jackson seemed as brawn-brained as a few Gryffindors on the Quidditch team that Jack knew. He was evidently determined to put a stop to whatever Jack and Erin were up to regardless of his very probably ignorance regarding the situation. The boy's quick moves knocked his opponent's spell way off course, but fortunately not enough to hit anyone else.

Jackson's 12-year-old emotions were probably prioritizing his dislike and grudges against Erin and whomever else might have opposed him as a prefect (Jack) rather than trying to find out what, exactly, they were trying to accomplish and if it would have been in anyone else's best interests.

To Jack's utter astonishment, however, a new series of events unfurled after his spell was fired and missed thanks to the Hufflepuff's interference. Erin had decided to take hold of Jake in order to use him as a hostage while a third year Jack wasn't sure he'd ever seen before popped into the doorway to give the part-veela some back-up.

This was getting to be ridiculous. Erin was likely after the bludgers because of Jack, Jackson wanted to stop them because of Erin, and the new kid (Oliver) seemed just as set on opposing Jackson, though whether it was because Jackson was a prefect or Erin was someone he considered worth helping, the redhead didn't know. The rest of the people present, it seemed, were mostly fixated on making Jake feel better, but didn't appear to know the first thing about how to do that other than...for some reason...potentially also going for the bludgers.

None of this changed the fact that not one of the people involved seemed to understand the objectives of the people they were opposing. For all they knew, everyone could have wanted the same thing. Due to their unwillingness to communicate, however, the situation had deteriorated into the very sort of event that Jack and several other Slytherins had been attempting to prevent in the first place.

When some crazy, unfamiliar first-year boy decided to set off a couple of bottle rocket fireworks as a means to deter the girls from remaining in the boys' locker room, Jack flinched and blinked, putting up his arm to shield himself and his eyes from the momentary flares and obnoxious bangs. Fortunately, nothing seemed to have caught on fire, and for better or for worse, the perpetrator had fled. He had left before being able to discover the irony that his little stunt had actually prevented one of the girls from leaving rather than facilitated her departure.

Jackson's comment of Erin having tried to stick her tongue down his throat and Jo's mention of Jack's previous kiss vaguely registered as mildly concerning in the Slytherin boy's mind, but he had no time to deal with those.

"STOP!" Jack shouted in the silence following the explosion of fireworks. "Everyone calm down for a second!"

He glanced at Erin, about to ask her to let Jake go, but when he saw the state of the weak-kneed baby badger, he decided against it. Instead, he turned to address everyone as a whole in the cramped confines of the locker room.

"From what I hear, Slytherin's and Hufflepuffs' Common Rooms have both faced disaster recently. I and others I've conversed with have reason to believe that the people likely responsible for - or at least, in some way connected to - those events are here attending this ball as we speak.

"I asked Erin to show me where the bludgers were kept because I thought that if we let them loose, we could cause enough panic to shut down the ball. It's not safe for anyone anymore. The professors were right to cancel it in the first place. I just want to try to correct the mistake that some arrogant students thought they were smart enough to accomplish on their own." He was referring to those plucky individuals who had decided to hold the 'secret' ball despite the professors' opinions.

"If you guys are really prefects," he said, turning to Jackson and Quinn, "Then you should value the safety of the student body above all else. There are other ways to go about this without releasing the bludgers, as I admit that's a bit rash and more than a little drastic, but I thought it would be simple enough." He gave a wry look at the group assembled there. "...Evidently, that was not the case. So, what'll it be?"

Jack regarded each of the others' faces one by one with serious and intense scrutiny. "Whatever you decide, please choose quickly. The more time we waste here deliberating, the more time the culprits out there have to attack."

He gestured toward Jake. "Regardless of your decision, Morris won't be harmed. I'll make sure of it. But he looks like he's been through more than enough for tonight. Don't you think it'd be best to put an end to this chaos for his sake if for no other reason?"

Interacting with: @Erin Ryan, @Jake Morris, @Jo Morgan, @Oliver Hart, @Grace Mint, @Jack Warren, @George Henry, @Alan Vanes, & @Quinn Healy

Interaction with: @Jack Burnett
@Erin Ryan @Quinn Healy @Jake Morris & whoever else is in the chaos

There was no way he was going to let the fake take him out that dang easily! Who in the world would respect his authority if he just up and gets knocked out as soon as things got interesting!? No matter how pure his intentions were, Burnett attacked him. That stuff was not taken lightly. Mr. Burnett's blood was about to be splattered across the prefect's knuckles. Just the thought of it made the kid grin evilly.

Alas, a series of events made his current predicament very hard for him to actually splatter Burnett's internal tomato juice across the locker room floor. Fireworks, bludgers, mayhem, chaos, a faker, and one realllllly stupid purple-haired girl. It just made Jack want to hit something.

The word 'STOP!' had stopped the Hufflepuff prefect mid-swing. Damn it, only a few more inches until splatsville! BUT NOOOOO, he wants to start people to calm down! Oooh, Mr. Logic over here. Jack knew that he would have to hold off on his revenge. "You are the one who bloody started this." Pulling the fist of fury and vengeance away Jack B's face. He'd let him finish his little talky talky thing.

He tottered on about how their ball was unsafe and how it was their prefectly duty to end the ball, yadda yadda yadda- "If you were so against this damn thing, why are you even here? Why are you dressed up? Why didn't you just snitch to the professors? From where I am standing, it looks like you are the only dangerous thing that is about to happen here? Back me up here, Quinn." Glancing back towards Quinn he nearly had to do a double-take. It took about this long for the prefect notice that Erin had taken a hostage. His best friend and littlest badger, Jake Morris. "Why is he even passed out!? And why is she tossin' him around like a freakin' ragdoll!?" This was an absolute crap show.

Entering changing rooms
mentioning: whoever is in whatever commotion is happening.
sorry, I actually couldn't be bothered to read it

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outfit

Ivy had chosen a simple but effective disguise for the trip to the Quidditch Pitch. All she had to do now was shed the black cloak she had thrown over her outfit and change her shoes (it was rather hard to walk down to the Quidditch Pitch in heels, so she'd stuffed them into a bag and exchanged them for a pair of sturdy boots for ease of travel.) Now, in the changing rooms, she quickly hung the cloak on a hook and took her boots off, quickly putting on the strappy ballroom shoes she'd packed.

Ivy smoothed down nonexistent wrinkles in her dress, noting that there was some sort of weird commotion going on, but decided not to acknowledge it. Why should she? She wasn't here to cause drama, she was here to dance and have fun. Joining in would only add fuel to the fire, and she would much rather find Zykeal and talk to him. Now that seemed a lot more fun to her, and Ivy moved quickly, applying a touch of red to her lips and checking to make sure her braided hairstyle was still in place.

With a few charms or two to make them stay in place, she fastened the delicate silver brooch to her dress, making sure not to rip the lace, and quickly moved out of the changing rooms, glancing around to see where Zykeal could possibly be.

leaving the changing room

Wearing:

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Surprised that Jackson even had the self-restraint to stop himself mid-swing, the Slytherin wondered if that might have had something to do with how the Hufflepuff had come to be awarded the position of 'prefect' in the first place. Even so, he had never really been able to understand how Jackson had somehow managed to secure the position - self-restraint or not. The fact that he had even taken a swing at Jack in the first place was enough of a reason that he shouldn't have; at least according to the redhead.

"I started this?" Jack reiterated, seeming thoughtful. "Yes, I guess I did. This isn't the way I intended everything to go, but I still intend to finish it. Just maybe not in the way you might expect."

The green-clad first-year boy smirked at his peer in the pale pink suit. "But after all this is over, you're welcome to punch me if it makes you feel better. It's not like I don't know how to take a hit or two."

It wasn't long after he'd addressed everyone properly, though, that Jackson began to start spewing questions. Normally, Jack would have loved being asked so many questions. Being asked questions give him an excuse to talk at length. Also, technicalities and nuances were extremely important in the snake's eyes because, as the saying went, 'the devil's in the details'. To be asked questions suggested that people were curious enough to be interested in the subject. They sought to be enlightened.

In Jackson's case, however, Jack doubted this. He closed his eyes briefly and massaged his temples while being assaulted with the barrage of inquiries. It sounded suspiciously to him like these inquiries were being posed less with the intention of seeking knowledge and almost exclusively with the intention of attempting to pull the rug out from under him. Well, despite his minor annoyance, Jack wasn't about to deny Jackson his reasons as answers; especially since the Hufflepuff seemed to doubt the notion that the Slytherin had any real reasons or answers at all.

Opening his eyes once more, the redhead sighed deeply. "When did I ever say I was 'so against this damn thing'?" he demanded of Jackson. "While I fail to see the purpose or relevance of these questions as they pertain to the decision that must be made, I'll give you some shortened answers. If necessary, you can interrogate me further and ask me to elaborate on them once everything else is all said and done."

Jack exhaled deeply through his nose before attempting to speak again. "There are many reasons why I'm here. I didn't 'snitch' to the professors because then the students who committed this terrible mistake will not have learned anything. They'd just blame their failure on whomever 'snitched' and claim they would have been able to pull off a secret ball otherwise."

He held up an index finger. "However, if I released those bludgers or did something akin to the act, I'd be giving them a lesson to learn from. I'm testing how ready they would have been for an actual, aggressive attack from whatever mysterious force has been ruining our common rooms - the very reason that the original Blossom Ball was probably canceled in the first place. My test would probably be less harmful than the real thing, too, since at least most people seem to know how to deal with bludgers.

"Along with being a good test and lesson, releasing the bludgers would be a preemptive strike. Our mysterious adversary, who would likely have been under the impression that they would be the only cause for things to go wrong at the ball, could be caught completely off-guard. Simultaneously, the rest of the student body would be put on guard and thus make it more difficult for our culprit to try anything else afterward.

They'll have lost whatever advantage surprise might have afforded them. And, if we're especially lucky, enough people - the majority if not the entirety - will be frightened enough by my 'test' to evacuate the premises. No more ball, no more victims, no more threat. End of story." He sighed and glanced down at his formal wear.

"As for why I'm dressed up, it's because I needed to look the part and blend in with everyone else. Doesn't hurt that I have the most charming companion, either." He cast Erin a playful sneer. "Why wouldn't I want to look nice for her?"

Jack shook his head as Jackson continued to go on with his ceaseless questions. "Oh, please. I'm hardly dangerous. The spell I cast wasn't even harmful. You're the one throwing fists for no reason at all. Not very prefect-like of you, is it?" He raised his brows. "As for the bludgers...if they're all that hazardous to begin with, why do they even exist in the first place? And for a school sport, no less?"

By that time, however, the Hufflepuff had finally seemed to realize Jake's status. Jack looked unimpressed with Jackson's overly-exaggerated panic over the baby badger.

"Because too many people were crowding him and too much was happening at once. I thought that would have been obvious even to you. Isn't he supposed to be your friend? Shouldn't you know these things?"

The redheaded first-year Slytherin reached down to pick up Freddie off the floor. Then he gently turned toward Erin to indicate to her he would attempt to carry Jake and support him in Erin's place if she chose to pass him on. "Do you want to be the one to carry him?" he asked Jackson with a brief, mistrustful glance.

With that all said and done, Jack heaved another deep sigh, as if to renew his dwindling patience. "Anyway, Warren, you're not providing any answers or advice; just wasting everyone's time with pointless inquiries. If you're not going to be a part of the solution for now, then the least you can do is stop being part of the problem. If nothing else, you're slowing us down."

He looked back toward the others. "Anyone else need any more information before deciding what you want to do? Like I said before, time is of the essence and we don't have a second to lose."

Interacting with: @Erin Ryan, @Jake Morris, @Jo Morgan, @Oliver Hart, @Grace Mint, @Jack Warren, @George Henry, @Alan Vanes, & @Quinn Healy

Interacting with: @Jack Burnett @Erin Ryan @Jack Warren @Jo Morgan
Mentions: Everyone else with them.

Grace couldn't believe the things happening, a purple-haired girl and the brown haired girl were now getting jealous or something, Grace couldn't take it "Guys stop it we have more important matters at hand!" she screamed over their voices.

Then, out of the blue, the purple-haired took the small crying boy, Grace was about to follow them.

BANG

It was something loud, Grace looked for the source of the sound when she found it, she covered her eyes, it was too bright.

Then, everything was happening too fast, the Ravenclaw was frozen, she didn't understand what was happening but then...

"STOP!" shouted a familiar voice, it was Jack Burnett, Grace looked at the redhead Slytherin, waiting for him to say something.

He talked about the Hufflepuffs and the Slytherins going through bad stuff in the common rooms.

"I asked Erin to show me where the bludgers were kept because I thought that if we let them loose, we could cause enough panic to shut down the ball. It's not safe for anyone anymore" Burnett explained.

Grace felt anger rise up, seriously? He was ruining her first ball!

Grace knew he was right though, Hogwarts was one of the craziest school, horrible things always happened.

The prefect didn't believe it though, he started getting mad at Jack, Grace looked at the prefect "He has a good reason for this" she told him and looked back at Jack.

"I'll help you" Grace said, she wanted safety at this school for once.

She just hoped she made the right choice.

There was so much chaos now, things were getting complicated and deteriorating by th-

WHOOSH!

Quinn narrowly dodged the immobulus spell shot in his direction. Was @Jack Burnett serious!? Was he really attempting to hit them with that blatant sp-

BANG!!!

Quinn covered his eyes yelping in pain at the sudden, and powerful flash of light. Thanks to his hardy, Half-Giant, constitution and size. The blast didn't hit him as hard, and he was only momentarily stunned. However as he managed to not stumble into a student for the most part just swaying where he stood. He could still see lots of black dots and spots as he rubbed his eyes. He may have been temporarily blinded, but he wasn't deaf. He caught wind of the conversation between the two Jacks.

In all honesty as he listened, and quickly regained his sight. Quinn was pissed, not blindingly pissed but he was pissed none the less. Jack Burnett pointed out some...reasonable points, however how could he possibly think that any of what he was doing was a good thing? How could he think as he even admitted just now that what he was attempting with that accursed Erin was smart. It wasn't, it was stupid, it was foolish, and it would only cause more harm than good. Worse than that, it made everyone involved including the prefects look incompetent. It undermined the authority of the position which in turn could possibly lead to lack of trust or worse problems either increasing or never being reported.

Now practically glowering down at Jack Burnett, he glanced at Erin his hardened eyes softening into a look of momentary and honest worry at Jake. That baby badger had been through more than enough. Looking over to @Grace Mint he listened to her as she spoke to @Jack Warren his fellow Hufflepuff prefect. Quinn may be young but his life growing up in Dublin and dealing with the prejuidice in his family taught him not to be just observant but to also think critically about his actions. It was how he survived and kept some semblance of mental sanity.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, he rolled his shoulders back and straightened his back. His whole demeanor changed as his eyes sharpened and brow furrowed. He was now standing at his full 7'8" height and really made it apparent just how much bigger than everyone else in the room he was. Normally he intentionally hunched his back and talked with light-hearted care to appear as non-threatening as possible. The time for that was over. He. Was. Pissed. He'd had enough.

"Mr. Burnett I would appreciate it if you would respectfully shut up and actually think about your actions. Because maybe the thought hasn't occurred to you or you simply don't care about any other thought than your own being right?" Most of his accent had faded, with the large redhead stepping closer still looking down at Jack. "Before I start though, Jack Jack me friend. I want you to go with someone to watch the bludgers." He said simply his voice was deeper and a bit commanding. But at least he didn't snap. Focusing his attention back on Jack Burnett he continued with his speech.

"We are prefects, it our job not to just ensure that the rules of Hogwarts are followed but the safety of the students too. I will be the first to admit that in this we have fallen short regardless of what the others may think. However, Jack what does releasing the bludgers as you pointed out accomplish. Even if they are released. They are gonna lead to injuries, panic, and worst of all fear. I don't know about you but because of what I am. I've seen first hand what someone who's really terrified is willing to do to resolve that fear. You will just make students more paranoid, and possibly fearful of each other. They may even stop trusting prefects who they should trust because of fear, prejuidice, or whatever fecking thing you can think of. If you had these concerns than you should have spoken to us prefects about it or made us listen. Instead you intend to cause more pain and unnecessary violence!" He raised his voice slightly. It was deep and starting to boom a bit. It was barely controlled but controlled none the less.

"I refuse to have any more harm come to my friends and other students. Violence isn't always the answer but since everyone seems to think they can just walk all over us or me. Than let me remind you." Moving with a speed most didn't think he had. Quinn grabbed and picked up Jack Burnett bringing him to is eye level. He grabbed his by his shoulders keeping a firm grip. It was uncomfortable but not too tight. "I don't care what ye think of me. I don't care if what I say falls on deaf ears or hell even if I'm wrong. But this is better than the reckless alternative. This is better than traumatizing students, and it is certaintly better than anything you cooked up. You're students at Hogwarts start acting like it." He warned staring holes through Jack. "Because I promise you. I will be keeping my eye on you from now on, and next time ah might not be so civil." With the same suddenness as before he simply let Jack Burnett go allowing him to fall.

Whether his actions were justified or not he hoped people at least listened to him, or thought about what he said. Was he right or was he wrong? Regardless he made his choice and would have to live with the consequences...but he was fine with that. He just wished @Alan Vanes didn't have to see him act this way. Than of course there was @Jake Morris who he was still worried about along with @Erin Ryan. The most important thing now was to keep his eyes on Jack to see what he would do next.

Wearing:

Reducio

The last time Jack had met Quinn, the half-giant had also been pissed off. Thus, when the tall, Hufflepuff prefect drew himself up to his full height, the Slytherin understood quite well what that meant. Just because he was familiar with the sight and situation didn't mean he was any less unnerved, but he was determined to stand his ground nevertheless. Whatever his natural instincts, Jack refused to be swayed by physical intimidation tactics alone.

Fortunately, Quinn did not seem to share his fellow Hufflepuff prefect's penchant for mindless violence. That was one reason, at least, that Jack respected him as opposed to his lack of respect for Jackson.

He flinched involuntarily as he was called by his first name during the course of his beration. It had been unexpected, as he'd assumed Quinn would have only reserved the use of said name for his fellow Hufflepuff prefect. Nevertheless, the red-headed Slytherin listened attentively and patiently as Quinn said his piece, obediently keeping his mouth shut until the third-year was finished speaking.

Oh...aaaand he was being picked up again. Fantastic. Just what he needed. He held the upperclassmen's gaze with pursed lips, hoping to hide the anxious gritting of his teeth behind them as he was dangled in mid-air. Okay then. Consider your point made...

Jack emitted a small yelp as he was dropped, but barely managed to land on his feet. Painfully, but still on his feet. It took a moment to recompose himself with the pain shooting through his legs and his nerves still on edge. Nevertheless, the Slytherin wasn't finished yet.

"Please, just 'Burnett' is fine," he told Quinn with a wry smile, his voice calm and quiet as he shakily straightened back up. "As for being prefects...that's a nice sentiment and all, but what about what they said?" Jack jabbed a thumb over his shoulder at Oliver and Erin. "This ball is already in violation of the Hogwarts rules. Its very existence puts students in danger."

He extended a hand to Quinn, gesturing as he spoke. "Yes, I'll admit my plan was stupid, but I couldn't think of much else at the time. That's why I'm asking for the aid of your prefect wisdom to come up with something better. Because, as things are, I can't just stand by and do nothing."

Jack's hazel gaze met the intense emerald-blue of Quinn's eyes. "It's not that I don't care about any thoughts other than my own being right. I'm always open to others' ideas. I just didn't think that standing in front of everyone and going, 'hey, guys, who has a great idea to shut down this ball safely' would have won the most popularity votes."

What Quinn had said about 'what he was' caused the Slytherin to swallow, his complexion flushing slightly in embarrassment as he glanced off to one side. Jack hadn't considered that; that Quinn might have been more sensitive to the panic and fear of others than most. It reminded him of when he himself had freaked out at his pool party, claiming himself to be the source of panic as the Great God Pan. Still, the minor event was incomparable. What must Quinn have gone through...? Could Jack even have begun to imagine?

"I'm sorry," he apologized sincerely, dipping his head. "With all due respect, however, I don't see what responsibility prefects have in upholding anything at an event like this. As that kid said," Jack remarked, nodding toward Oliver, "Isn't it another group who was put in charge of enforcing the rules and keeping the peace tonight? 'The Martial Arts Club' or some such? So you prefects can't really be held accountable for anything." He gave a small shrug. "Unless, of course, you'd like to take responsibility for failing to report the entire secret ball itself."

Then Jack sighed. "Quinn...I respect you. Really, I do. But I didn't know how many prefects would be present at this and, even if I did, the fact that any of you would condone this event in the first place makes me skeptical about your concern for the safety of the student body. Why would I have any reason to come to your lot, of all people?"

He raised a hand to point accusingly at Jackson. "Especially with delinquents like that somehow having managed to weasel their way into your ranks? Maybe if more time was spent disciplining him on the unrestrained use of violence and less time lecturing me, there would be more trust in prefects to resolve issues peacefully." Jack rose a thick brow. "Speaking of trust...was it true you informed Erin, here, that you actually eat children...?" The Welsh boy shook his head.

"Anyway...if no one else plans to do anything but sit here and guard the bludgers, I'm going back out there. There are a couple of people I need to keep an eye on myself..." He glanced at Grace Mint. "Thanks for the backup, but it looks like we're done here."

If there were no other attempts to stop him or otherwise bar his way, Jack would make sure Jake was set down somewhere safe and place Freddie in his lap. Then he would cast Erin a meaningful look and Oliver a quick nod before heading out of the locker room toward the main ball area.

Action: Attempts to leave the Changing Rooms to head to the Secret Blossom Ball if not stopped or opposed.
Interacting with: @Erin Ryan, @Jake Morris, @Jo Morgan, @Oliver Hart, @Grace Mint, @Jack Warren, @George Henry, @Alan Vanes, & @Quinn Healy