Sorry guys but I won't be updating as often as I'd like. I have exams coming up that are really important, so I have to study, and I'm also in the middle of a much mroe popular story, so that's being updated more often too. My apologies. ( story/1970371/Who-I-really-am-Sequel-to-Wonderful-Nightmares/) The third in the series if anyone's interested.

Valkyrie sat, drumming her fingers against the desk top, finally feeling agitated by Scapegrace's whines.

"My hand cuffs are too tight" was the latest one, the one before being 'my nose hurts, you definitely broke it!'. Valkyrie felt her eyes roll as she sighed.

"Are you ever going to shut up?" She asked, turning her head to face him. He glowered at her.

"Maybe if you loosened these cuffs." He said suggestively.

"Maybe if I was an idiot." Valkyrie replied. Scapegrace frowned, growling slightly, and Valkyrie was mildly pleased with herself.

"Scapegrace I do hope you're not aggravating my partner." Skulduggery said, striding in with McGonagall following close behind, looking slightly scared at the skeleton man in front of her. Valkyrie thought that with all the old witch must have seen, she would have adjusted pretty quickly to a walking talking skeleton. She hadn't.

"You have no idea." Valkyrie muttered, and she sensed that Skulduggery was slightly amused.

"Ghastly will be here in a few days with the cleavers to take you to the cells" Skulduggery turned to Vaurien who looked up at the word 'cleaver' as Skulduggery continued "where you'll be trailed for trespassing, attempted assault on a Sanctuary Official and attempted murder of a Sanctuary Official. You will remain in custody until that time and I swear if I hear a single complaint I will shoot you." Skulduggery finished brightly as McGonagall looked up in slight shock. Vaurien glared, but nodded, staying silent. Thrasher's eyes flicked from Scapegrace to Skulduggery to the floor, staying silent, Valkyrie watching him out of the corner of her eye. He was a strange one, Thrasher. Or Gerald. He seemed to either speak out of turn (which could be extremely useful to them) or say nothing at all, and he was completely dependant on orders from Scapegrace. No one in their right mind would take orders from Scapegrace. Not to mention Thrasher was now bigger, bulkier and most likely stronger than Scapegrace. True, he lacked brains, but lots of people did. Lots of very annoying people. Even some celebrities lacked brains, but they were still successful, and Valkyrie assumed they were happy. Scapegrace wasn't the brightest bulb, heck his bulb wasn't even lit, but he still seemed to be the guy in charge, even though they weren't strictly zombies anymore. Valkyrie didn't understand why Thrasher was allowing himself to be thrown into it all. She wondered what he had been like when he was human, what he had done. Had he had family? Friends? How much had Scapegrace taken away from him already? She made it a mental point to ask him, if only for conversations sake.

"Do we understand each other, Mr Scapegrace?" Skulduggery asked. Vaurien glared, and then nodded slowly. "Good. Professor, I think everything is under control here." Skulduggery turned to Professor McGonagall, who nodded sharply.

"Just keep them out of the reach of the students, Mr Pleasant. I don't want any more hassle."

"Of course." Skulduggery nodded and McGonagall turned, walking away, closing the door behind her.

"We have a lesson soon." Valkyrie pointed out as soon as the door closed.

"So we do." Skulduggery nodded.

"Lesson?" Scapegrace smirked before he could stop himself "The great detectives are teaching a bunch of snot nose kids now?" Skulduggery tilted his skull towards Scapegrace in a death glare, and Vaurien shrunk back instantly, looking towards the ground.

"If you find it so amusing, maybe you would enjoy participating. Give the dummies a rest for a while." Skulduggery said threateningly, with seriousness to his voice. Valkyrie, although slightly concerned at Skulduggery's tone, thought it was a good idea. She wouldn't mind punching Scapegrace. She wouldn't mind that at all.

"No thank you." Scapegrace muttered quietly, and Thrasher watched him for a moment. Valkyrie stood from the desk where she had been sat.

"Gerald, you ok?" She asked, raising an eyebrow slightly. Thrasher looked up, slightly started that she had addressed him, and then nodded slowly.

"Yes thank you detective."

"Why are you being nice to him!" Scapegrace whined and Valkyrie turned her head to him.

"Because he's not annoying." She said simply.

"I'm not annoying!"

"Yeah, you are. Really annoying. So annoying I might borrow Skulduggery's gun and shoot you to make you be quiet." Valkyrie said, feeling amused as the colour drained from Vaurien's face slowly, and then came back equally as slowly before he glared at her.

"You're both monsters." He muttered. Valkyrie frowned slightly, but didn't really let it show.

"You're the one trespassing Vaurien. It's your own fault." Skulduggery said simply before the doors opened, and a student's head peered around the corner.

"Lesson time all ready." Skulduggery sighed slightly. "Come in then." He said louder, and the students slowly shuffled in one by one, forming their usual group towards the door, although more gathered on the right, away from the two men handcuffed to the chairs they sat in.

"Ok. Just a point for this lesson, if you could avoid the criminals in the chairs over there that would be most appreciated." Skulduggery began, earning a few mutters which quickly died down. No one dared to mutter in Skulduggery's classroom for longer than a few seconds.

"Right, as we've already covered defence through blocking, today we'll begin with attack. If an opponent comes at you and has no intention of backing down, the likelihood is he or she won't be defeated by defence alone."

"Fat chance" Scapegrace muttered fro across the room.

"One more word and I will shoot you." Skulduggery said calmly to him, and he flinched, shrinking. Skulduggery turned back to the class as Valkyrie felt the corners of her lips turn up in a smile at the expression on the fourth year faces.

"As I was saying…"

Scapegrace seemed scared of being shot, as he actually didn't interrupt further. He did however curse both the detectives names under his breath once the students had begun working. Thrasher seemed slightly interested, looking up, eyes darting across the room form one student to the next, watching what each was doing with a certain curiosity. Valkyrie just hoped he wasn't taking tips. She didn't want to 'corrupt' Thrasher like Scapegrace had. Not that he cared. One of the students in particular seemed interested in the convicts. He kept creeping closer and closer with his partner as they worked, and watched them closely. Scapegrace had noticed, but so had Skulduggery.

"Boys move away from the criminal or I'll deduct 15 points from your houses. Each." He threatened, then cursed under his breath. Valkyries smiled slightly – she could almost imagine what he was thinking 'can't punish the bloody students properly, can't even bloody threaten'. She smiled again as she corrected a young girls posture and punch, ducking to avoid the girls fist smashing into her face.

"Ok, a little less rough this time. You don't want to send your friend to the hospital wing now do you?" She said calmly, raising the girls arm a little and moved the back leg forward slightly. The students seemed to be more sided towards her than Skulduggery, how walked around the room with his hands clasped behind him, surveying everyone. They didn't seem so compelled to request his help, even though it was probably more accurate.

Valkyrie left the pair to it, watching slightly to see they were 'fighting' better. When she saw they were, her thoughts drifted to the Sanctuary. It would be good to see Ghastly again, that much she was sure of. She'd have to ask him about updates, what was going on in Ireland, had they traced Tanith and Sanguine etc etc. She'd have to ask how her parents were too. The thud she felt in her stomach mirrored the one in her heart as she thought of how she had left her parents with the reflection. It was just supposed to be a few months, but the likelihood was they'd be staying a Hogwarts all year. After all, November had already started. Halloween was gone. Christmas would be next. But what then? What then?

Valkyrie didn't know.