Cedric made his way through the empty hallways of the school building, for once contented. He'd gotten permission from his current Advisor to switch; now all he had to do was get Professor Layton to accept him as a thesis student.

The pleasant calm echos of the empty hallways were broken - or added to? - by the click of heeled shoes. Cedric didn't pay them mind, he knew he was well within his rights to be here.

That is, until a gratingly familiar voice reached his ears. "Nice to see you around, Lizard the Wizard. How's life treating you?" Cedric turned around to see that yes, it was in fact Sascha, with her long, curly red hair held up in a high ponytail, her hard eyes glaring at him above a smirk, her rigid spine and uplifted chin, the superior bearing in her posture.

As Cedric comprehended the words, his eyes widened in shock, then hardened into a squint. "I'm doing quite well, thank you," he lied. ...Somewhat lied. The last few days have actually been nice. First, there was making headway on his thesis, even if it was not on the paper itself. And, well, while he hadn't kissed Sofia again, not yet, they'd shared looks, and last tutor session was nice. He could bring a genuine smile to his face.

And he could deal with Sascha. "It is quite wonderful to see you, dear, and I'd ask how you're doing - but I have neither the time nor any actual interest in your well being. Good day." He turned to face the way he'd been going originally, and started to walk.

She walked up and grabbed ahold of his wrist. "Oh, no you're not, Lizzy. You're not getting away that easy. Not after that little delight, when you nearly cost me this prefect's position, end of last year. Not with an opportunity like this," and here Sascha gestured at the empty hallway around them, "for payback."

Opportunity? What could she - and then Cedric was on his rump and staring at the ceiling, and he could feel a lump forming on the back of his head. Above him, Sascha muttered - continued muttering? - something, and purple magic started pouring out of her wand. Purple? She was yellow, though, how could she do that? ...Well, regardless of 'how,' at least the 'why' was obvious. It figured.

Cedric tried to regain his feet on the now slippery floor, but couldn't seem to manage. Meanwhile, Sascha produced more of the purple magic, which was taking shape into a large black bird. Not… not actually either a raven or a crow, it didn't look right. Maybe a grackle? Its proportions and its stance were all wrong to be a large carrion bird, and the long tail leant support for the idea that it was a grackle.

The intent was plain, regardless of whether or not the bird was accurate.

Cedric gave up trying to stand and instead just reached for his wand. "Reverso!" he cried, pointing at the bird. It stopped growing, at least, but it didn't shrink, and it still had an aura of purple magic about it.

Sascha shrugged and started another spell, this one produced small, purple fireworks, which after bursting dissolved into sludge and muddied the floor.

"Disappearo, disappearo!" Cedric called out, doing his best to stop what was happening, but barely managing to stem the tide.

After the firework spell was up, Sascha seemed to just… disappear. There was probably an empty classroom she had hid in, but Cedric didn't see her go, he was too occupied with damage control - especially with how the fireworks seemed to be frightening the large, magical bird.

Professors started looking out of their classrooms and offices at some point. The sympathetic look Layton gave him made his stomach turn, but at least that was better than dismissal and derision.

Another professor was at his side, then, a large pink woman. She was casting the reversing and disappearing spells, and actually having a decent effect, unlike Cedric. For his pride's sake, he didn't stop casting, but he knew it was pointless. A sentient broom joined them, and even it seemed to be doing more to help than Cedric himself was. His own creation, most probably, and it was outclassing him.

Then the magic was gone, he was ushered into an office, and left to stand and stew for a few minutes. Steep in his failure, and - while he hadn't seen any actual students in the hall, he was sure some had managed to see through the open doors of the classrooms. If nothing else, the chattier professors were likely to spread word of his failure, again.

This time wasn't even his fault. It wasn't his fault! No one would believe him, though. He'd not settle for summoning - or conjuring, he wasn't sure which- a grackle, a common starling, but then who else cared for the difference between blackbirds. Would-be oracles, soothsayers of doom, probably, and ornithologists. But no one else.

Another screwup. And everyone would "know" he was in the center of it, regardless of the truth. One of his hands found his throat as he gulped, trying to swallow the shame, the anger, the shame, the failure. The shame. Massaging his throat, imagining - something slightly different. Breathing, slowly, steadily. A slight squeeze, tighter than strictly advisable, though of course no part of this was really 'advisable,' but it helped. It was the only thing that helped.

Cedric's hand flew to his side as the professor from before came back into her office. "Are.. you all right? Would you like some hot chocolate? You'll have to forgive me; I don't think I've had you in class before. What's your name?" She gestured towards a chair on the outside of her desk, and he finally sat down. That had been there the whole time, and he was too focused on - not now. He couldn't succumb to that while someone was around to see.

She looked at him expectantly, and realized he never answered. "Cedric, ma'am," he said. "That is, Cedric Sorciere. And I'm, ah, quite all right I suppose. I'll pass."

The professor shrugged - the nameplate on her desk said Professor Universe - and poured out a cup of chocolate for herself from a porcelain teapot on her desk. Or, rather, hot-chocolate-pot, Cedric supposed, though he was hardly amused in his current state.

"Mister Sorciere, I apologize for being blunt, but would you mind telling me what happened to cause the accident in the hallway?" she said, looking at him levelly over her cup.

"It wasn't a mistake!" he found himself saying, too loudly, too much of a whine in his voice, too high pitched. Then, he realized what it sounded like, and added, "And it wasn't even me. I know what it looks like, I do. But I am telling you, Professor, it- it wasn't mee-he-he…" Cedric, shamefully, started sobbing his breaths, though there weren't any accompanying tears at least. "M-my… My ex-girlfriend, Sascha Nettle. I don't know how she did, but she did, and e-e-even from the outside, the motive is obvious, isn't it?" He cast his eyes downward, towards his hands. "I don't expect you to believe me, Professor. But, but I need to at least - at least try." Cedric sighed, and drew his legs up onto the chair, hugging his knees and pointedly looking anywhere but at the teacher in front of him.

"I'm sure we can sort this out," came her voice, though with his head turned away, Cedric couldn't see the accompanying expression. "What were you doing in the hallways at that time, anyhow? It was well into the class period by the time this happened."

Cedric swallowed, willing his voice to return to a more level tone. "I only have two independent study classes and DA - er, that is, Dark Arts and Wicked Wizardry in the early mornings this year, none of which are officially held in this building. As such, the reason I was here was to visit Professors Tohsaka and Layton. I already spoke to Tohsaka, and obtained his permission to change my Advising Professor, regarding my thesis; I was on my way to wait by Layton's class, to see if I could catch a word with him between it and his next." And to see Sofia and Greylock for a moment, maybe give her a quick hug or something, and if he was - unlucky? lucky? Cedric wasn't sure really - Greylock would try something himself. Not that that had anything to do with anything.

Of course, that was all off the table now, and Cedric tried not to sigh.

"I see. I could get confirmation of this from Tokiomi if I went upstairs to see him now, yes?"

Cedric blinked and finally looked back at the woman in front of him. "Y-yes, ma'am, of course." He was used to being blamed for accidents, and he was used to lying through his teeth, but he wasn't used to being accused of lying, or covering up, or other shady activity. "I, I promise, Professor, I haven't spoken an untrue word here. On my honor." Cedric didn't have any honor, not even the family honor he ought to have, but he crossed his heart with his finger anyhow.

She patted him lightly on the shoulder as she stood up. "Sit tight, young man." And with that, she left.

Apparently, she didn't even trust Cedric enough to wait until later to ask Professor Tohsaka. He felt the pit in his stomach, at yet another level of shame, incompetence, at which he simply wasn't good enough. His hands curled inward and withdrew, and he dragged them across his face. He hesitated, then forced them away, putting his feet back in the floor and his hands in his lap. He wouldn't fall into that again, in public even. He'd nearly been caught a few minutes ago, he didn't want anyone figuring anything out. No, no, Cedic needed to remember to internalize those thoughts, to act on them - if only in part, as if he were merely playing, even though each time he was deadly serious - only in the safety of his room, and even then only when Greylock was safely asleep.

When he was trying to sleep at a decent time, when he didn't push himself to the point of exhaustion, that's when he needed it all most, anyhow. When memories of his foibles and his flaws, of his failures, would swirl and stir into themselves, and pour themselves over his consciousness, like a potion spilled while brewing.

But today wasn't his fault. ...No one else would see it that way. He'd be a pariah, mocked yet again, with new fervor. No doubt Sascha would spread that name again, that once-cute nickname, once affectionate. Now the name was just a remnant of a time gone by, thankfully, was a memory better left dead.

...So there wasn't really a better time to spend even more time under Professor Layton, honestly. Not to mention, at least Greylock wouldn't contribute to the mockery, and Sofia couldn't, not that particular bit, given that she didn't know.

At that point, Professor Universe came back. "I've officially talked to Tokiomi, who vouched for you. You seem a fine young man, Mister Sorciere, and I did see Miss Nettle skulking about. We've nothing but your word that she did it… But she doesn't seem to be coming forward to accuse you, either. So I'm not going to mark you down for anything. Officially, you were still speaking to Professor Tohsaka when this happened. All right?" She gave him a wink.

It took Cedric a few seconds to digest and react to this information, and even then he was conflicted. On the one hand, he wasn't getting any official marks on his record. Not that most magic accidents were able to be tracked as such, but that usually meant that those that did have an obvious culprit were dealt with all the more fervently. On the other hand, Sascha was still bound to spread the rumor, not to mention any other professors that might have seen the hallway - if there were any? Cedric couldn't remember. Regardless, word was likely to get out one way or another that Something Happened, that he was there, and that he was not punished.

...Not that he was wholly free from nepotism, though in his defense the room situation was also a matter of safety. Still.

There seemed to be more words exchanged after that, though Cedric couldn't remember what he'd said - if he'd said anything - before being dismissed. Hopefully something along the lines of "thank you, ma'am," or the like, though he came back to himself quite too late to ask.

Well, that was draining. Time to abandon all previous plans and focus on recharging.