Watching the occupants of the inn with straight-backed, narrow-eyed scrutiny as they filed in one after the other, Helena said nothing, taking in the overall lightness with which this entire meeting was being regarded. To her mind, it seemed as though they were not nearly as serious as they should have been, although arguably, there were few who met her criteria of solemnity, though the young Hit Wizard seemed as attentive as her, whether out of nervousness or appropriate gravity was debatable. Cordiality remained perceptible from her end, a nod being offered as acknowledgement to anyone who acknowledged her, though small talk was sufficiently lacking.

Predictably, the first thing her tardy colleague did upon entering the room was to indulge in general frivolity, his mind turning in a singular fashion towards the thing that the joint was best known for its alcohol, served in probably unwashed glasses. She raised her eyebrows with distinct distaste as Mr. Collier offered her one after his own inimitable, and quite out of place, she felt, informal fashion. The frivolity can wait until after the meeting, Mr. Collier, she said, declining by pushing the drink back, and giving him a pointed look, though her voice remained predictably flat, and she pursed her lips into a tight, thin line at how the Headmaster encouraged him. Leathan Collier was a man who needed, she felt, little encouragement; he was scandalous enough to start with.

Needless to say, Helena heartily approved of the Head of Gryffindor House. Not to mention the effect she induced in her colleague was almost amusing. One could have sworn Helenas lips twitched a little at the sight, though it could have, given the individual in question, very well have been a play of the light. It disappeared without trace the moment Rabastan Lestrange began to speak, though, so one would never know.

Eyes narrowing slightly at the idea of giving the sixth and seventh years an extended deadline, Helena waited until Flitwick was done affirming that the students wouldnt have an issue with it. One might have said she was being unreasonably uptight, but the very reason they were here, after all, was that there was definitive danger that the students needed to be protected from, and the prospect sounded to her like an invitation with golden lettering. You are cordially invited to launch an attack on the students of Hogwarts while they are indulging in distasteful frivolities on Hogsmeade ground.

The premature lines on her face deepened slightly.

With all due respect, I dont think thats a wise idea, she said, in a flat, official tone. Aside from being an added burden to the Hit Wizards, who have proven themselves capable no doubt, its an unnecessary risk. No doubt the students would have nothing to say about it, but adolescence, with lack of judgment of which, shamefully enough, her own daughter was a prime example despite being more level-headed than most, was a remarkably foolish stage of human existence that could have been done away with entirely in Helenas opinion.
"Dog. A kind of additional or subsidiary deity designed to catch the overflow and surplus of the world's worship."
- Ambrose Pierce -