Owl Eyes

Owl Eyes

Chapter Fifteen

Independence

Long white stick is held.

My steps true, free, and bold.

Freedom dawns once more.

"All are accounted for, Headmaster," Lupin announced.

"Wonderful. Let's begin. Shall we start by discussing the markings which recently occurred?"

He spoke it as if it was a question but really it was a suggestion, maybe even an order.

"There were some surprises," Snape began.

He went on to give a full account about who was marked and what tasks they might be given. Apparently the hospital wing had been quite full following the initiations. Snape's tone sounded bored. He seemed far from worried.

"What are we going to do about the school?" a woman asked sounding clearly distressed.

"You mustn't worry, Molly," Dumbledore soothed. "The castle is well protected. There are wards protecting against dark magic and the children watch out for each other."

Harry shifted beside me and muttered something under his breath which sounded like, "Yeah, right."

But Harry isn't safe with all those Death Eaters and Lucinda, well... I-"

"Potter has proven time and again that luck will relieve him of the greatest responsibilities and keep him from dying. After all, he is The Boy Who Lived, is he not?"

Professor Snape was mocking this Molly woman.

"There must be something we can do," she spluttered again.

"Should we risk my position as a spy to protect a boy from his colleagues? They argue amongst themselves continuously. I am constantly taking points because of Potter's lack of consideration. Though I cannot be in more than one place at a time, I think that Potter can get himself out of most messes. He creates many himself so has become quite resourceful."

"What about Lucinda?" Molly asked.

"She is hardly at risk," Snape said. "No one knows of her powers. No one will find out unless there is a spy among us or she is ignorant enough to be careless, and then Merlin help her, because it is likely that we won't be able to."

I shuddered involuntarily. I hadn't realized how much my life was at risk. I knew joining the Order was a risky business but so was attending classes at Hogwarts. I couldn't use my magic anywhere in case I was seen. I needed to practice it though. Perhaps I would talk to Snape about the matter. Maybe he was not in a good position to help me with him being a spy and all.

"How are things going with obtaining recruits from Ireland, Mr. Garby?" Dumbledore asked, closing the previous subject.

"Very well sir. I think they will have three individuals who will be prepared to take oaths at the next meeting."

"I have also received word from Miss Lee's parents that they are in the process of relocating. I expect that they will also join us for the next Order meeting," Dumbledore said.

I hadn't considered that I would be seeing my parents at the Order meetings. It would be much sooner than the holidays!

"Have these individuals been checked and double checked?" the gruff voice of Moody asked.

"Certainly," Dumbledore replied.

"We continually examine members," Lupin put in. "No one who means the Order harm will be allowed into our meetings or be afforded access to our information."

"Good...good," Moody said.

"Headmaster, I must ask," a woman began, "why have we not met sooner? I mean with the attack on Hogsmeade, the marking of students...I just think that we may be falling behind in our meetings. I want to ensure that that doesn't happen."

"I assure you, Miss Vance, that we have everything under control. We are doing the best we can. The attack on Hogsmeade was most unfortunate and losing students to Voldemort saddens all of us."

"We're working on the Soul Saving Contracts at the ministry."

"Yes," Dumbledore said, "Mr. Weasley has been working hard at investigating legislation on this matter. I must say that we are no closer to a solution than when we started, however, we are not giving up."

"What about the Dementors?" a man asked.

"I'm afraid there is nothing we can do," Dumbledore replied. "We will begin to prepare the students to fight them. The hex is a most difficult one though. I don't know how effective we will be."

"He will release and direct as many of them as he can," Professor Snape explained. "He wants them to reproduce as much as possible. The danger is quite real."

"Constant vigilance!" Moody shouted.

I jumped and clutched at my robes reflexively.

"Why weren't we made aware of the complete plan regarding the Dementors?"

"I wasn't apprised of it myself until recently," Professor Snape seemed to growl. "It was discussed the night the markings were carried out. The Dark Lord is most proud of himself of late."

The business had been carried out. The meeting drew to an anticlimactic end. As I left the cabin and made my way through the exhaustion spell, I wondered what it might be like to attend a meeting as one of Voldemort's Death Eaters. They must believe in their cause as much as I believed in this. They must look to the Dark Lord as much as we looked to Dumbledore for guidance and wisdom. Could I ever enjoy being a part of them like I enjoyed this?

***

"Righ' then," Hagrid was saying, "yeh have got to work with these here eggs like they are goin' teh hatch at any minute."

We stood in a semi-circle around our Care of Magical Creatures Professor listening carefully. Well, most of us listened carefully. Some of the Slytherins thought they were above listening to him. The majority of us had learned that paying attention in his class was a safety measure. Many of the animals he presented were quite dangerous. Sometimes the danger was unavoidable because Hagrid often knew very little about the animals we were caring for. His curiosity often got the better of him and he was known to bring species which were not studied often and on whom little information had been recorded.

Fire lizard eggs were the topic of the lesson. We had each been given an egg. Apparently they were from a far away land. They were supposed to imprint on us at the moment of hatching so we were forced to carry them everywhere. I began to worry that I would drop my egg.

"Now yeh have teh keep 'em warm and with yeh at all times. They need somethin' teh imprint on. If yeh leave them with a friend they won't be yours when they hatch. If yeh don' have one imprinted to yeh at the end of the week yeh will fail this assignment."

"What happens if our Fire Lizard dies?" Malfoy asked.

"Well, yeh won' wan' tha' the happen."

The Slytherins in the class snickered.

"Yeh'll need teh keep food round yeh too. They'll be right hungry when they hatch out, see."

"Uh, what do we do with them when we're, you know...in the shower?" Neville asked.

"Keep 'em in yer sight. Tha' is all yeh gotta do."

"Nice to know that you shower," Pansy said rudely.

"Some of us do," I shot back in a moment of bravery.

I was tired of the Slytherins picking on the Gryffindors. The mature thing to do would have been to ignore them but somehow I couldn't bring myself to do that.

"Now, put 'em in their pots. You'll need teh perform a cushioning charm on 'em. Yeh all should know how to do tha'."

"I think yours is the only green one, Lucinda," Hermione informed me.

"I don't understand green real well."

"Hmmm."

"It's like moss or something," Harry said.

"It's warm," I said.

The egg was small and smooth. If it was the color of moss it must be moss that had been sitting in the sun. Moss wasn't smooth though.

"Moss isn't smooth."

"It's the same color as a plant though," Ron tried to explain.

"Green is like wet grass and clovers. It's like spring smells. Outdoors and fresh things," Harry said.

"I can't picture those things in color."

"You don't have to," Hermione said. "Colors have emotions associated with them. It's been proven with research."

"Oh, no, not research again," Ron said.

"It's true. My parents looked up all sorts of color combinations when they were remodeling their office. They wanted people to feel relaxed. Some people get so worried when they go to see the dentist."

"What color did they pick?" I asked, now curious about the relationship between colors and emotions.

"Blue for the exam rooms," Hermione said. "I don't remember what color the rest of it is. I don't go to the office often."

"Well, at least my egg is unique," I said as I placed it carefully into its pot and covered it with a fine layer of sand.

"I'll cast the cushioning charms if you want," Hermione said.

"Good," Ron replied. "I forgot how to do it."

"Typical," Hermione huffed.

"I can do my own," I said confidently.

"Hold it still, Ron. I can't do it while you're moving around."

"Will you do mine?" Harry asked.

"I offered, didn't I?"

I cast the charm to cushion my egg quite easily. I also performed an additional heating charm on the pot. I couldn't rely on Hagrid's magical abilities to keep the egg warm if he was the one who had set up the pots. He didn't seem magically talented at all, but a more loving soul you could never find.

"Righ' then, yer all excused fer today. Take yer eggs with yeh when yeh leave and take good care o' 'em," Hagrid said just as I was finishing.

***

Harry and I had been summoned to Professor Snape's classroom. Not his office or the Charms' classroom. I was confused. It seemed that the many fragile vials and explosive potions' ingredients were not a good back drop for dueling. When we entered the room things were made clear to us.

"It's nice to see that you are on time for once," Snape said. "Sit."

I moved forward and sat behind the long table in my customary spot. Harry pulled out a chair and slid in beside me. We were silent.

"This evening you shall have the pleasure of brewing two useful potions. I am sure that you have no other pressing matters which need your attention so I intend to keep you late into the night. You are free to conjure strong tea should you require it but I ask that you do so in the hall. I cannot rely on the accuracy of your foolish wand waving in the classroom. These ingredients are quite, shall we say, volatile."

He began sliding jars along the table's length as if to rearrange them. I hadn't even noticed there had been jars on its surface.

"Now then, you will brew with more care than you have exercised in the past. I shall not have my time, nor my ingredients, wasted. I'm afraid Mister Potter will have to read the directions aloud, Miss Lee. This particular potion is not in your text books."

"What is it?" I asked.

"Liquishield," Harry said.

"The consumer will be shielded from any spell. It sometimes works for up to three hexes depending on the strength of each," Snape explained."

Why don't people just drink it continuously during battle?" Harry asked.

"If you had examined the ingredients, and paid enough attention in potions' class, you would notice that the essence of hemlock in the liquid would kill a person if too much was ingested in a short amount of time."

"How can the hemlock be used at all?" I asked."

It is merely the essence. The plant has soaked in distilled water for a month and then the water, only, is used. It is bottled as essence of hemlock with one part hemlock water to ten parts clean water. It is in this way that a few positive effects of the hemlock are retained, but the plant does not in any way threaten the life of the potion drinker if, only one dose is taken." He emphasized one dose.

"What use is the potion if you can't drink it continuously?" Harry asked.

It was a good question but I thought I knew the answer.

"Should you become injured, at such time as your luck runs out, you might want to drink it so that you cannot be hexed while you are incapacitated. It might afford you the time you need to Apparate or seek assistance."

"Right," Harry said seriously, his questions answered.

"Now, brew!"

We did just that. We didn't talk about anything except the potion. Harry read the directions off of the board and we worked diligently. It was important that we not mess this up. We would be bottling it and testing it during our next session with Snape. I was a little afraid of the curses he might try to throw at us if he knew our potion would protect us from them. Perhaps he'd assume that if we had made it wrong we deserved some severe injuries. It was hard to know how the man's mind worked, even though I liked to think that I was beginning to make headway.

I measured and added the ingredients which Harry prepared and handed to me. The potion needed almost constant stirring. It would not have been hard to use a charm to achieve the necessary constant motion, but I found the action relaxing. I also had little else to do.

Professor Snape checked our progress in between grading papers. I could hear his quill scratching like a caged animal when I listened for the noise. It didn't sound like he was enjoying himself at all. I was sure he liked brewing potions and conducting research more than he did spending his time in the presence of children and reading their inferior attempts at explaining the subtle art which he lived and breathed.

"I must go into my quarters for an item I have forgotten," he said. "When you have finished this potion, and the solution has thickened, start on the next project. Bottle all of the potion. Don't waste any of it."

His steps retreated and the door slammed shut.

"He must think we brewed it correctly if he doesn't want us to waste any of it," I said.

"Don't know why he would."

"Well, we're not terrible students."

"Depends on who you ask. Snape doesn't seem to think very highly of us."

"What's the next potion? Did he leave directions?"

Harry stopped chopping to look up at the black board. He sucked in a breath.

"Veritaserum," he said in awe.

"Oh, wow. Let's finish up this boring stuff and get started on it."

"It looks hard."

"Wonder why he wants us to brew it then?"

"Don't know, could be useful for torturing Death Eaters."

"I'm not sure the Order wants us to torture anyone."

"Gather information then," Harry said.

I continued stirring. We were both silent. The potion seemed to take forever to thicken but in time the stirring became more difficult.

"It seems thick enough to me."

"I'll get a bottle then," he replied.

He walked across the room and opened the cupboard. Several bottles slid along one of the shelves with a groan. The wooden doors clanged shut and he was returning to the table, an armful of bottles clinked together as he came.

"I'll clean up, you bottle," I said.

Two hours later we had finally finished with both potions. Snape inspected them carefully. He shook the bottles, held them up to the light, and sniffed deeply. He had been reasonably satisfied with our work. It meant that we didn't have any extra homework to do, nor did we have to repeat the brewing that night. We would have to test the potions though. I was sure that it would be a safe venture. After all, he was a potions master and I was confident in his ability to assess a potion without consuming it. I wasn't sure that Dumbledore would approve of us testing the veritaserum though.

As I sat in the common room much later I imagined myself forcing a Death Eater to drink the truth serum. What questions would I ask? What information would I want to gather? I wondered if professor Snape would teach Harry and I how to question someone under veritaserum or how to fight the potion. We had certainly brewed enough for several such lessons. He had explained that our potion couldn't be used at a trial because only potions made by masters could be used in such a situation. He had also said that the solution wouldn't go to waste. He was clearly not a wasteful man.

"What're you thinking, Lucinda?" Ginny asked, flopping down in a chair beside me.

"Just about a lesson Harry and I had."

"What was it about?"

"I can't really say."

"Keeping secrets again?" Ron muttered setting down his book softly.

"What else is she supposed to do?" Hermione asked.

"I don't know."

"I'm just glad it's not me."

"It's not so bad, Ginny," I said. "At least I have Harry to talk to."

I didn't sound totally convincing, even to myself.

"Did you order a new Muggle cane?" Hermione asked, changing the subject.

"No, not yet. I need a catalog to do it. I also don't think I ought to do it by owl post."

"The Muggles would have a heart attack!" Ron exclaimed.

"Quite possibly."

"What if we transfigured something into a cane?" Hermione suggested.

"Like what?" I asked.

"Well, it'd have to be something similar. None of us are incredibly good at transfiguration."

"No reason to be so modest," Harry said as he approached the table.

"Why not just use a stick?" Ron asked.

"Just where are we going to get a stick?"

Hermione didn't seem as if she was going to give in to Ron's suggestion. Perhaps she wasn't interested in what he had to say.

"The Forbidden Forest," he whispered back.

"Ron, you can't!"

"Just why not?"

"How will you do it? It's dangerous! You'll get in trouble!"

"Sssshhhhh," Harry hissed. "Everyone will hear you."

"So what if they do," Hermione challenged. "Ron isn't really going into the forest. Are you, Ron?"

"Yeah," Ron said confidently. "I am, and Harry can come with me. We'll use the invisibility cloke."

"What if you get caught?"

"We'll lose house points," Harry said. "It wouldn't be the first time. It's no big deal really."

"No big deal!" Hermione screeched.

"Hermione, you're getting a little over excited," Ron said, rising from his seat. "C'mon, Harry."

"I'll go get the cloke."

"Boys," Hermione sighed.

"We're just trying to help," Ron said in response.

"You don't have to do it," I said. "I'll figure out another way."

I secretly hoped that he and Harry would go find an appropriate stick. It would save me a lot of trouble and I'd have a cane right away. I'd been missing my independence.

"Maybe Hagrid could carve you one out of wood," Hermione suggested. "It'd be easy for him to go into the forest."

"My parents might be able to send one by owl," I suggested.

"That'll take too long," Ron protested.

"We're going," Harry said as he walked passed.

The common room emptied over the next hour. Even Ginny went off to bed. Hermione and I waited for Ron and Harry to return. I was surprised that most people had been working so late anyway. Harry and I had been in the potions classroom for a long time and I had expected most people to be in bed when we returned.

The waiting gave me a chance to complete a long essay for History of Magic. I was inspired to stay awake and finish it, even if it wasn't my best work. If Harry and Ron hadn't been off on an adventure I would've just gone to bed not caring if the assignment was completed or not. It wasn't due for another few days. Hermione of course reminded me that it was good to keep ahead on coursework.

She made a good study companion. She moved about continuously, but her actions were almost comforting. Her quill scratched sporadically. She shuffled through parchments with an occasional sigh and slid books around on the table carefully. She seemed to handle them like one would a fragile bird. When she opened them delicately she'd flip to a page as if she knew where it was all along. She never pressed the page edges hard with her thumbs in an attempt to hunt down information like it was a wild beast. She rarely spoke, but I liked studying with her better than alone. It was nice to spend time with someone who was unintrusive, even if for a short time.

Finally the boys returned, panting.

"Filch was after us," Ron said breathlessly. "I sneezed and he heard us. I thought Mrs. Norris was going to nose the cloke even. Filch was way behind us though."

"Serves you right," Hermione shot back.

"Did you find one?" I asked.

"Here," Harry said.

He thrust a slender long stick into my hands. It was nearly straight and seemed light weight.

"It seems perfect."

"Took us a while to find it."

"You sure Filch didn't see you?" I inquired.

"Yeah, we lost him a few corridors back," Harry said.

"Good," Hermione said, relieved.

"Can you transfigure it, Hermione?" Ron asked.

"Maybe. I hope I won't need to go to the library."

"We really need to learn to summon books from there," Ron said.

Hermione had already taken the stick from me and stepped away from the table. She was casting spells on it in no time. The first one straightened it completely. The second made it slightly thinner. Next she tried a basic ironing spell to smooth the stick's surface. It didn't work. In a moment of creativity she tried a shaving spell which did work. The rest of us were quite impressed that she would know such a thing and think to use it in this situation.

"It needs a handle," Harry commented.

"Can I see it?"

Hermione handed it over. I ran my fingers up and down it lightly. It would certainly do. I stood and pulled it against the front of my body. I preferred that a cane reach to the middle of my chest.

"Not quite tall enough," I explained.

"That's easy," Hermione said.

She lengthened it where it rested.

"Be careful," Harry warned. "You might make Lucinda taller instead."

"You forget who you're talking to," Ron said. "This is Hermione. She doesn't mess things up."

"Well not usually," Harry admitted.

"Right," Hermione said, still focused on the cane. "A handle."

"What if we just round off both ends?" Harry suggested.

"I think that'd work."

"Yeah, it would," I agreed.

Again it took a few tries, four to be exact, before Hermione was able to complete the desired task.

"It needs to be white for Muggles to understand it," I explained.

"Alright," Hermione said.

She prepared to cast the coloring spell.

"Wait," Ron said. "That's just a simple spell. I can do it."

In an instant he had cast the coloring charm. His pronunciation was slightly off though.

"Oops,"

"Ron, that's purple," Harry scolded.

"I know."

"I'll fix it," Hermione said. "Give it here."

Finally the last spell had been cast. I walked around the common room to test out my new cane. It was quite solid, and therefore provided a great deal of feedback when it came into contact with anything. It wouldn't bend or break easily like some of the models I had previously owned. What friends I had! I had always seen my cane as a source of freedom. They had helped give me back that independence.

"This is great! It's perfect!"

"It doesn't look anything like the old one," Hermione said critical of her own work. "The other had a red tip too."

"It's supposed to have," I pointed out. "I am not good at coloring spells though."

"Gee, I wonder why?" Ron joked.

We all laughed.

"We can add it tomorrow," Harry said. "We'll need the library to learn how to color something in, otherwise the whole thing will turn red. I'm knackered anyway."

"Thank you," I said. "All of you."

Mutters of your welcome could be heard as I slipped off to bed.

As I disrobed I reflected on my new existence. This place had not been what I had expected. In many ways it was quite overwhelming. I wasn't used to a bunch of sighted peers. I wasn't used to being taught by a variety of professors. Sure, I had had some of both, but never so many. I had never been away from home either. My friends had not been like Harry, Ron, and Hermione. They were loyal and trust worthy. They accepted me the way I was and without pity. I was so grateful for their friendships.

I ran my hands over the new cane once more before drifting off to sleep. What a gift. It was more than just a cane. It was a symbol of love and friendship. I would cherish this particular cane.

***

Once more I sat in the Defense against the Dark Arts classroom. I thought of how much time I wasted every week in this room. Listening to Wiggins talk was not only dull, but pointless. I was tired of listening to her snap at students too. She was never satisfied with what her pupils said or did.

We passed our homework assignments forward. I had written six inches more than what was required. I had not found the task difficult at all. I certainly wasn't being challenged in this class.

She started the discussion over the homework. No one was very enthusiastic about answering her questions. Not even Hermione was eager to raise her hand in this class.

"And, what is different about the eyes of a werewolf compared to those of a regular wolf?" Wiggins asked the class.

"They retain the coloration they had while in human form," I said.

"First, you did not raise your hand, Miss Lee. Second, I don't see how a visual characteristic is of any use to you."

"I never said that it was of use to me. I simply answered your question. Regardless of what is useful to me I will be tested on the subject and need to know everything about it, do I not?"

"You will have detention because of your argumentative attitude."

"I wasn't arguing."

"Silence! That's two nights of detention," she hissed.

She moved along with the lecture before I had a chance to say anything else. I wanted to throw my book at her! How could I get detention just for explaining myself? The woman was so rude. Who cared if I raised my hand either? She was quite controlling. I wasn't sure I could put up with her for the rest of the year.

I was speechless for the remainder of the class. Never again would I offer an answer without being requested to give one. She had humiliated me in front of my classmates again. She was no better than a bully.

That evening I stomped my way to the Defense against the Dark Arts' classroom. When I arrived Professor Wiggins was nowhere to be found. I slipped along to her office. The door was open. I rested my shoulder on its frame.

"Don't just stand there. Come in."

I stepped inside. The room felt cramped. Though it was extremely hot, the air was dry. A fire burned in the fireplace. Perhaps she was waiting for a call or visitor via the Floo Network.

I shuffled my feet looking for a place to sit down. My knee came into contact with something hard. Wiggins paid me no mind. Her quill was scratching over parchment almost violently. I felt with my hands and discovered a rough, wooden chair. I sat. It was straight backed and if I didn't get splinters implanted in my rear it'd be a miracle. Professor Wiggins rolled a scroll up tightly and cleared her throat.

"I intend for you to learn a valuable lesson tonight. If you don't, there is always tomorrow night," she said bitterly.

"Yes, ma'am," I said with fake respect.

"You will write these lines over fifty times in your best penmanship."

"But-"

"Do not argue! I would think you would've learned that there is no place for arguing by now. Your defiance brought you here tonight, Miss Lee. Hush, and read the lines!"

I activated the reading spell.

"I will not argue or talk back in any way. I will never speak again without raising my hand unless I am called upon directly to speak. I understand that visual things are not a valid part of my learning process. Since this is true, my education will never be equivalent to that of my peers."

I was stunned. The woman was off her rocker!

"The last of this is not true!"

I rose from my seat, radiating rage and disrespect for her.

"You will write the lines regardless of your opinion. I don't care much about your feelings. The facts are clear whether you choose to believe them or not."

"I can't."

"You must!"

"I can not. I don't know how to write other than my name."

"I suppose that is why no school would accept you? Well, one reason at least. You are completely incompetent, Miss Lee. Your parents are failures when it comes to teaching and-"

"Don't you insult my parents! You are cruel and unfair."

"Again, Miss Lee, I care nothing about how you feel. If you are such a poor excuse for a student that you can't write then perhaps I should have you in detention until you learn how to do it. There is no such word as can't, Miss Lee. You can practice by writing your name three-hundred times on this parchment."

She produced a parchment and a thick quill.

"I cannot have you using your own quill. I believe it is charmed to write."

I did not speak.

"To the classroom with you. Return when you have finished. I have papers to grade. If you cheat I will know. Be sure that your words are neatly formed and do not overlap."

I rushed from the room slamming the door behind me.

"Another night of detention for slamming the door!"

I grumbled to myself as I stomped to the classroom. I felt as if my head would explode with untamed red hot anger. There was plenty of injustice in the world but I hadn't expected it at Hogwarts. Ignorance maybe, but not outright prejudice and cruelty. I wondered if Dumbledore knew how unreasonable Professor Wiggins was and if he approved of her teaching methods and the forms of discipline she chose to use.

I sat at my customary seat and began to write. I tried to use my fingers to be sure that the lines of my name didn't overlap. It was hard to do that, concentrate on neatly formed letters, and count the number of signatures all at the same time. I soon grew frustrated. I really didn't care if the words overlapped. I wanted my signature guide. Perhaps I should botch this first attempt and bring it to the next detention session. Surely that would not be cheating. I continued, knowing that Wiggins would not be wholly satisfied with my work.

"This is a poor excuse for penmanship," she said when I had finished and brought her the parchment. "Your lines are overlapping, your e's often look like a's, you forget to dot your I ninety-percent of the time, and, it's just poorly done. I am not impressed. You will remain in detention until I am satisfied with your progress. Once I am sure you can sign your name correctly, if that occurs before your remaining two nights of detention are through which I doubt it will, you will serve the remainder with Filch. I have no time to waste on a lost cause such as yourself."

I turned and left the room. I had nothing to say to her. I ignored her attempts to call me back so that she could add something to our rotten conversation.

As I approached the portrait of the Fat Lady I met Professor McGonagall in the corridor. It appeared as though she had just exited the common room.

"Miss Lee, you are out late tonight."

"Yes, ma'am. I had detention."

"May I ask with whom?"

"Professor Wiggins."

I didn't want to give more information than was necessary. I was worried that I might get into more trouble than I was already in. Professor McGonagall was known for being strict and I didn't want to see that side of her as long as I could help it.

"Just why have you received detention? You are a good student, and it is still early in the year."

"I answered a question without raising my hand and she didn't like that. Then she didn't like the fact that I had answered at all. She said I was argumentative. I still have two more nights to serve and more if I don't complete my work correctly."

"Professor Wiggins seems quite strict. Perhaps I will have a talk with her. I'm sure there must be some sort of misunderstanding. Don't let this trouble you, Miss Lee. I am sure that you will be able to complete whatever task she gives you quite adequately. And, do tell me if you have any problems at all. After all, I am your head of house and I am here to help."

She rested a hand on my shoulder before departing.

"Thank you, Professor," I called after her.

"Good evening," she answered.