By the Lobes of Their Ears

[Banks Gallaudet]

After exiting the great hall, Banks let known his presence and suggested they go to his office. Although, his words were not spoken in his regular soft voice, but a cold and anger strucken voice. There wasn't any arguing after that and he led them toward the stairs, then making the Starbreezes walk in front of Tamis and himself so that he could assist his wife. His anger did not cloud his worry still of Tamis and stairs and the baby. Finally, they arrived at his office.

Once inside Banks told the girls to sit. He walked behind his desk but did not sit down. Instead he began to pace, back and forth. He had no idea how to start this conversation. He knew this was partly, if not mostly, his fault. He had given them too much freedom and no discipline. He should have known that being nice would eventually come back to bite him. But that just wasn't who he was and would never be. Banks hated punishing the students, and he knew he would always have trouble with his own child and enforcing rules.

Finally, he stopped pacing and looked to Tamis. He did not know where to begin..

[zsazsa]

Still fingering her ear, Zsa-Zsa flopped down into the nearest chair in front of Proffy G's desk when instructed, but the girl had gone, at last, blessedly silent. Well, except for the occasional muttering. Which she kept both under her breath and in a foreign language for good measure.

Truth be told, the younger Starbreeze had never seen their Head of House like this. He was angry. Actually angry. Not the ranting, screaming you-are-all-going-to-die anger that his wife so often threatened them with, but that silent one. It was down right frightening. Or would have been, but Zsa-Zsa kept on having the urge to point out that the Professor looked quite constipated when angry. Nope. Not a good thing to point out.

But he would not actually punish them, would he? Zsa-Zsa watched the look that passed to the short Deputy. Correction there. He wouldn't let her eat them, would he?

[Alhana Starbreeze]

No matter the seriousness that Papa G had just put on the situation with the disappointed and furious expression firmly planted on his face, Alhana knew she'd be having the sweetest of dreams that night. They had every right to celebrate their small little victory over the mundane and stressed life of the Hogwarts' student body. The point was to have fun. Did they not accomplish such a feat?

Slipping into the chair and thankful that their ear lobes had been released several minutes ago by being shoved into the lead, Alhana only vaguely wondered if their Head would mind all the gunk that they would surely leave behind from their rear ends. Pulling up her legs to cross them over each other, the eldest of the girls frowned for the first time that evening.

Awkward silence was probably one of the things in life the lany hated most. She straightened in her chair and made an annoyed, guttural sound. "No one got hurt." Alhana stated matter-of-factly to give them somewhere to start as they both seemed to be at a loss for words.

[Banks Gallaudet]

Looking from Tamis to Alhana, who decided to make the first comment, Banks sighed and shook his head. Sure, no one got hurt. But that wasn't the point.

"And you're lucky no one got hurt." Banks spoke, "What were you two thinking? The feast was not your opportunity to be known to the whole school! You two are already known, quite well in fact, and I'm sure within years will be known world wide for your pranks. But an End of the Year feast is not a place for paint and who knows what else! You showed no respect to your professors or to the school." he went on. Some was humorous, but he certainly did not mean to.

[Tamis Raynor]

Not going to say anything. She was not going to say anything. She was not. This was Banks' students, from his house, and his show, and Raynor was not going to be butting in. She bit down on her tongue. Just going to stand here, glare at them, and add back up to her husbands words. That was all.

But Alhana's cheek was too much for the highly hormonal and pregnant woman. She waddled over to her husband's side, jabbing a finger in both their directions.

"No respect for your Professors and in the presence of a Ministry official! From the Education Department no less. Do either of you have any idea how bad that was? How, we as a school looked? We're going to be fighting off the dogs for months -- "

The baby gave her a painful kick to the stomach, an unexpected jerk, and the Deputy lowered herself into her husband's chair as he seemed more inclined to pace and waved her hand for him to keep at it, one hand lightly resting on her stomach. Not in any danger but best not let herself get too worked up.

[Banks Gallaudet]

Banks showed his agreement in what Tamis was saying by nodding rigerously at each point. He hadn't thought of the ministru officials being there. This was going to be a deep whole to get out of. Many excuses would be used. As Tamis ended [for now] and handed it back over to Banks, he thought for a moment trying to gather his thoughts.

"This might all be my fault. I gave you two way too much leniance. If I had been hard on you and punished you the first time you did this sort of thing, maybe it wouldn't have happened again.." he said, his thoughts being voiced this time.

"But beside that, you two should have known that that was not the place to do such a thing. I don't care if you thought it would relieve stress and be funny, it was not the place. What-so-ever."

[Alhana Starbreeze]

Alhana's jaw dropped in a disbelieving stare at her Head. "You thought this was an act of arrogance? Like we care that the school knows who we are. We weren't showing off." she stated indignantly, raising her dotted chin up in defiance and scorn.

"Punishing us would have done no good. Seriously, it wouldn't have. It wouldn't have stopped us one bit. We weren't hurting anybody and so what if the official saw? Students act out and the staff punishes them. Isn't that what he should report? How it was handled, not what happened?" she grumbled the last part, not lowering her eyes from the stares of the Professor even for a moment.

[zsazsa]

Zsa-Zsa head and eyes followed one way, then the other, back one way and then other as the argument reigned on. Alhana, Proffy G, Raynor, Proffy G, Alhana. She silently encouraged her sister on. You would think she was watching a rather amusing Quidditch Game with her favorite team going for the cup than punishment being dealt.

Her clenched fists jerked up and down every time Alhana made a great a point, but whenever one of the two love-bird professors glanced her way, she suddenly became very interested in her nails. But the moment they looked away, "Go! Go! Go!"

She would let her Nover handle this one, just for now.

[Banks Gallaudet]

Banks shook his head, taking in a deep breath. "No. The ministry might see it as we have the students on loose chains. That we aren't teaching discipline and this is what happens. It's the fact that it happened, Alhana." he said, almost forgetting the other Starbreeze sister was there by her silence.

Catching her eye for a brief moment, Banks turned his attention toward the younger of the two.

"What do you have to say, Zsa-Zsa?" he asked, crossing his arms.

[zsazsa]

"Vat? Voo? Me?" Zsa-Zsa asked, eyes widen to the size of small saucers as the Head of House suddenly put her under the spotlight, crossing his arms as he did so. Drast. Good come back to her antics she must say. Almost cruel. Score to Proffy G.

"Erm... ve vont do zit again?" She asked sheepishly, snickering to herself. At least not until they restocked their supplies. They had famished those with this latest prank. It would take all summer to bring their stash back to its former glory.

"And, err... I vink vith 'ow Professor Raynor dragged us out of ze 'all like zat zat zit is a very good mark towards discipline. Ze Ministry can't vink 'Ogwarts 'as a 'andle on everything, zis impossible. So it vas 'andled vell."

Okay, maybe not the best answer. As they had technically snuck out and booty-trapped the entire Great Hall. So it made Hogwarts look slightly bad. Not that big of a deal. Her eyes widened as she looked up at her HoH.

"Vou're not going to us, are vou?"

[Banks Gallaudet]

If he had been in any one else's shoes, he too would have thought Tamis' exit with the girls would have been amusing. Banks sighed, however, for he was right in the middle of it. Punishment was a word he did not like very much. But he knew it would have to be put into order. But he had no idea what kind of punishment they would recieve. He couldn't think clearly as it was.

"Yes, there will be a punishment. But, it will have to wait until the new term. So for now, you are off the hook. But be prepared." he said.

[Alhana Starbreeze]

"But that's not fair!" Alhana protested, leaning forward in her seat with a huff. She knew she was probably making it worse. But punishment really wasn't going to do anything to stop them from doing such a thing again. Granted, they'd never gotten in trouble before this one time. Not even when the common room walls were dripping with Merlin knows what. They even had a Starbreeze Concoction booth one year and not a soul complained, mostly because they did it of their own free will.

"You know it won't stop us from doing it again. It probably won't be at another Feast...but." Alhana collapsed back into the chair, crossing her arms in a huff.

[Banks Gallaudet]

"I don't care what you think is fair or not, Alhana. Punishment is in order. No ifs, ands, or buts." he said sternly. At her comment about punishment not stopping them, Banks sighed.

"There are certain times and places were its appropriete. And both of you should have enough sense to know when and where that is." he said. "It better not be at another feast." he added.

[Alhana Starbreeze]

Alhana almost pointed out that by his last comment meant that he wasn't serious about completely shutting down their operations. They were triumphant at least in that aspect of the problem.

She heaved a sigh and let her gaze slide over to Zsa-Zsa. She'd had a terribly hard time not bursting out laughing every time she silently cheered her on. It was as if she were watching an amazing spectacle between two opponents. More like double teaming an opponent...

"Igen, igen. Better timing. It did let everyone's stress out though. That was the entire point of it. Everyone has been walking on egg shells around here since Thorne died." Alhana mumbled, but made sure her words were clear.

[Banks Gallaudet]

Everyone's stress was let out but two, he said, shaking his head. Tamis did not need this, did not deserve this. What so ever. She was pregnant, and had had to deal with way more than anyone should. It was not good for her condition.

He decided not to say anything in return to her comments. Looking from Zsa-Zsa to Alhana, he sighed.