Page 23 of Monster's Baby

Everyone else nodded their heads.

I sighed and exchanged glances with Aiden.He nodded slightly.

“If we get some help, and leniency, we can do it,” I said to the now silent teachers.

“We will give you all the assistance you require,” Headmistress Blackthorn said so quickly that I wondered if she had hoped for this solution.

“I don’t really know...Well, anything about babies,” I explained.“Is there a spell to, you know...”I mimed changing his diaper.“It feels so invasive.”

“There is,” the headmistress confirmed briskly.“I’ll make you up a list.You don’t have to worry too much about the rearing aspect.As far as we know, he’ll be back to normal by tomorrow.You’ll just have to watch over him tonight.”

Aiden frowned.“Neither of us have space in our rooms for an infant.”

Professor Dunlop, the Dean of Students for our year, stepped forward.“I believe we can arrange something for you three temporarily.”He winked at me subtly.

“Excellent.”Headmistress Blackthorn clapped her hands together.“It’s all settled then.In the couple’s wing?”she asked the dean.

He inclined his head.“We have several spare rooms.It won’t be more than a quick spell to connect two of them.”

I thought about the witch in the village I had met last year, who had to live in the village and travel to and from the school every day because she’d had a baby.I was glad things had changed since then.

“Thank you,” I said graciously.

“No hanky panky,” the headmistress said with a glare at us.

Aiden smiled innocently and patted the baby professor’s back.“I doubt we’ll have a chance.”

The dean snorted his opinion and inclined his head.“If you’ll follow me?”

“I’ll send up that list,” the headmistress called after us.

I felt more than a little overwhelmed by how fast everything had happened.

Was it really only half an hour since I had been sitting with my friends, excited about attempting to join the Magical Olympics?

“Will we still be able to participate?”I asked suddenly, pulling on Professor Dunlop’s sleeve.

“Participate in classes?I don’t see why not,” he replied.

“No, in the Olympics!”

He frowned.“I will personally look after Professor Reynolds if he is still an infant during the events.You shouldn’t be punished for another student’s mistakes.I would makeherlook after him, but based on the reason she did this, I’m reluctant to hand him over to her.”

I made a face.“Yeah, I see your point.”

“We will do our best to make sure this doesn’t interfere too much in your studies or social life.It’s your final year here.You have a lot of work and a lot of memories to make.”

“Sir, we appreciate that, but I have to admit that this is the exact sort of memory that will stay with me for decades,” Aiden put in.

The dean chuckled.“Yes, it would be, wouldn’t it?Still, whatever we can do to help, we will try to accommodate you.”

He led us to the room next to Bruce and Clarissa’s.It was similar to the ones we had with our roommates, but there was only one bed.

Professor Dunlop raised an eyebrow at us.“I trust you will see to your own sleeping arrangements?”He didn’t wait for an answer, but faced the wall on the opposite side of our friend’s room.“A little push,” he muttered under his breath.

An opening in the wall began to form, a sliver at first, stretching the full height of the wall.It grew, allowing us the view into the room beside ours.When it was the size of a standard doorway, the professor stopped the spell and walked through to the other room.He checked the exit to make sure it was locked, and then focused on the furniture.“A crib, chest of drawers, rocking chair,” he muttered.“Fridge for milk, hot plate...You know how to use one of those, I assume?”

I thought about heating up milk for Moonbeam, the manducare we’d looked after the year before.“Yes,” I replied.

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