Playing with fire

James Woodlock

Well-Known Member
Messages
929
OOC First Name
Dan
Sexual Orientation
Heterosexual
Wand
Knotted 11 Inch Sturdy Walnut Wand with Mermaid Scale Core
Age
10/2012
James still couldn't believe what had happened out in the grounds. How reckless must a student be to try and let off a set of fireworks on school grounds. The professor wasn't sure what had happened between the group of students as he didn't arrive until after the explosion had occurred. It was a wonder it hadn't shaken the windows of the Greenhouse it had been so loud. Shortly after James arrived at the scene Cyndi instructed him to take the two Slytherin girl up to Professor Styx's office. The older student Esme was a nightmare, she had taken off in front of him, the first year Charlotte was trailing behind him.

Even a character like Esme, who was now walking some way in front of the Professor, knew not to cross Professor Styx so wouldn't bother to try and escape her punishment, it was almost as if he was being led by the Slytherin girl. Finally they arrived at Professor Styx's office. James knocked firmly on the door and looked at both the students on either side. He didn't envy what they were about to go through.
 
Right now, Kalif was not in the best of moods. He was looking over the students and their histories through the notes, discerning who would end up wearing a badge, and mentally taking notes, or bets even, on who would end up screwing themselves out of one. However, a knock came to his door, and with a wave of his hand, the door unsealed, unlocked and opened slowly with a creak. His onyx eyes looked up to see two students, and a professor. 'Oh for Merlin's sake,' thought Kalif as he put his notes away. Kalif motioned with his index finger for the three to enter. He looked to the Herbology professor and stated coolly, "I suppose this is about to ruin my evening. What is this about."
 
James never liked interacting with Styx and he tended to avoid it at all cost. The Head of Slytherin was behind his desk as the door opened and he motioned the three of them inside. James led the students in waving the door shut. There wasn't much wandless magic the young Professor could do, but he had mastered that at least. It seemed to be a prerequisite to teach at the school. James made eye contact with his former head as he asked him what he brought the students to his office for. Everytime Styx spoke to him it made him feel cold on the inside, it was like he was a student all over again. "Apologies for ruining your evening Professor but it appears these two were involved in an incident out on the grounds that involved fireworks and an explosion," He then turned to the girls. "Girls, perhaps you can explain better than I can," He added motioning his head from the girls to the Professor.
 
Arriving at the door to Professor Styx's office, Esmé waited for the other two to catch up, while carefully thinking out the conversation that was about to take place in her head. She had to choose her words carefully, as difficult as it might be to keep her sense of superiority down. The Slytherin had already lost house points due to James in the past, and she wasn't about to let that incompetent boy cost her any more.

Once the three had entered the office, the witch waited for Professor Woodlock to finish speaking before stepping forward, to better explain the situation before Charlotte had a chance to. "Professor Styx." She began coolly, going over the story in her head. "A few minutes ago, James Adams, the Gryffindor prefect as I'm sure you know, decided it was a good idea to carry a box of fireworks through the grounds with the intent to light them, for whatever reason I don't really know. Maybe for a grab at some attention or to try impress a few of the younger kids. By the time I got there, a group of students had gathered around and a few were eager to light some of the fireworks themselves, resulting in James loosing his patience and hastily attempting to set some of them off. Unfortunately, he managed to light all of them in his haste, which resulted in an explosion that injured himself and a few others students." The girl took a breath, before continuing on with her story.

"So, this of course caught the attention of a few professors who immediately began demanding that everyone explain what happened or else everyone would face punishment. I didn't see this as particularly fair, because the only person at fault was James, so I spoke up to explain, as I'm doing now. But, some little Gyffindor boy who I believe is friends with, or admires James, tried to say that it was someone else. "This one here." Esmé paused, gesturing toward the Charlotte girl. "Who I think might also be friends with the younger Gryffindor, tried to add to his story to help him out and blamed me for the whole thing. I'm not sure as to why, seeing as I've never even spoken to this girl in my life, but it may be because I arrived just as James blew himself up. So now, instead of one person getting into trouble for his wrongdoings, this girl has now made the entire situation even more difficult by getting even more students into trouble." Esmé finished recounting the semi accurate events and could now only hope that Styx bought it. She thought it was believable, it was as close to the truth as she could cut it. The Gryffindor boy hadn't been too sure who has set the fireworks off, and it was easy to say that Charlotte was just joining the bandwagon and trying to get out of trouble herself. She wouldn't even be here if she'd just kept her large mouth shut. Even if Styx punished her, Esmé would take matters into her own hands later, too. Charlotte would have to watch her back for the rest of the year.
 
Charlotte's heart started beating faster and faster with each step she took as they neared the person that she feared the most. She hoped that Professor Styx wasn't going to blow them up or something for intruding on him. He did look quite aggravated as he opened the door and saw them and she wondered if he recognised her at all. She had been to his office once before but had never been inside. As soon as she entered it she wanted out.

Charlotte listened as the older Slytherin recounted what she think happened. She seemed pretty sure of what she said but Charlotte rolled her eyes at it knowing that she was not going to get away with telling lies to one of the most powerful people in the school. The older Slytherin seemed very determined to get Charlotte into trouble. She could have left out everything about her as it wasn't necessary but getting Charlotte into trouble was probably her way of thinking she was more superior.

When it was Charlotte's turn to speak, she tried her best not to look Professor Styx in the eyes. "It all happened really quickly. James carried a box through the grounds that had fireworks in it. I was one of the first to walk over to him and he said that he was doing it to celebrate the end of semester and the end of exams but most people, including me, said that they wanted to help him set it off." She took a shaky breath, trying to recount everything in her head again as she told the professor what happened.

"He said no and that it was only safe for him to do it in case one of us got hurt. We all understood and kept following him to where he was going to do it. There was a lot of people there and it summoned more and more over which lead to her coming over too." Charlotte gestured to who she believed to be Esme. "And she thought it would be fun to take out her wand and potentially kill everyone by lighting up the fireworks herself and blaming it on someone else." She finished quickly, not wanting to be in the spotlight anymore for once and continued looking down at the ground. She really hoped Professor Styx would believe her and not the older girl. After all, Charlotte had done nothing wrong in the first place.
 
Kalif looked toward the professor that he recognized from several years back. One of his students. And then why they were here. Fireworks and an explosion. 'Another fire incident? What in the hell is wrong with these kids?' thought Kalif as he looked to the two of them and listened to their explanations. As he listened to Esme's story, he knew at once she was lying. A great perk of his because of his learned ability. As she finished, rather lengthy to him, he turned his eyes to Charlotte, who avoided his gaze. She explained it, and that one seemed more believable. She was telling the truth. Finally, after a moment of silence, Kalif stood up to his full height and turned to the professor. "Woodlock, or James, you are excused. I need to have a moment of privacy, if you don't mind." Kalif waited until the professor has left before he looked to the two students. His first thought about this whole thing was, 'What kind of fireworks did James Adams bring to create an explosion like that?' This was already giving him a headache, and he didn't know what he was going to do about this. That is, until now.

A smirk fell over his lips for a moment, before Kalif looked to Esme, "That was rather rehearsed. I'm surprised Vulcan didn't tell you, but I know when people are lying. And you just had the audacity to lie to my face. That's definitely not a smart move considering that I hold your fate in this school in my hand." That smirk was long since gone now, and his voice was dangerously low and cold. "I don't know what it is with you kids and burning people this year. A student almost killed another with fire, and then we almost have a repeat. This is not what I expected from my students!" Kalif's fist hit the desk with a loud thud, cracking some of the wood. "Charlotte, twenty points from Slytherin. It would have been more if you had lied. As a first year, you are learning what you can and can't do. Fireworks are not allowed without staff supervision. Next weekend, cancel all plans because you are joining me in detention. And I'm going easy on you, now, get out."

The Slytherin Head of House didn't start in on Esme just yet. Instead, he took his cup of tea and took a drink of it. He had not talked this much in a long time. After several moments of silence, Kalif finally started in, "You are a fifth year, Esme Lancaster. Someone younger students look up to. I kept my eye on you for a reason, and this is not what I expected. You may not have meant to hurt James, but you still wanted to place blame on everyone but yourself. Perhaps I was wrong in my assumption that you'd make an excellent role model. And, I hate being wrong." Kalif placed both of his hands on his desk and he narrowed his eyes. "Explain yourself. Before I lose my temper."
 
Esmè had to bite back a small smile as she listened to Charlotte speak, the shakiness in her voice evident. She was so small, so vulnerable that it probably wouldn't even be worth tormenting her. Still, the Slytherin thought, if the opportunity arose she'd take it. Esmè scoffed audibly as the girl suggested there was a chance of potentially killing everyone. It was true that the fireworks reaction had been more dangerous than she'd anticipated, but it wasn't that drastic. Nothing a few spells couldn't and hadn't already fixed. If there was a chance of anyone being grievously injured or killed, she knew she wouldn't be standing in Styx's office, she'd be speaking with Professor King instead, or being escorted off of the grounds by now.

Professor Woodlock was "excused" from the room, and Esmè spared him a short glance over her shoulder, watching him exit. There was something about the name James and its association with ineptitude. Wasn't that Potter's fathers name? Look where he ended up. Some names held power, but evidently that one didn't. Once the door was closed, she returned her attention back to Kalif, heart sinking a little. She didn't like the smirk on his face, but at least he wasn't angry. Perhaps it wasn't so bad? As soon as he opened his mouth to speak, she realised it was. He knew she was lying, but she wasn't entirely sure how. Maybe he could pick out subtleties, a flicker of the eye, a scratch of the neck. Maybe it was magical, some sort of spell he had. He could've had an enchanted glass eye that could detect lies. As he spoke, she couldn't help but focus on them, trying to discern whether one was real or fake.

The witches searching stopped the moment Styx brought his fist down on the table, with enough force to actually crack apart the wood. The reaction had taken her by surprise and she jumped slightly back, her heart skipping a beat. The Slytherin kept her mouth closed, at least for the time being. Even she, who had just spoken to the professors as if she were the superior one, did not want to enrage Styx even further. Chaos had been expelled for setting a student on fire, and she didn't want to follow suite. Not now that Vulcan was here, and to a greater extent, Lucien and Avie. She had always wanted to transfer to Durmstrang, but leaving them all behind would be difficult.

After Charlotte was given her punishment, Esmè waited silently while Kalif drank his tea, glad that at least the younger Slytherin wouldn't be around to witness whatever harsh discipline she was about to receive. She listened as he spoke, her muscles tense as she braced herself for another cracking of wood, but it never came. He had considered she would make for an excellent role model, and that took her by even more of a surprise. She had never thought the same about herself. Taking a deep breath, she spoke up. "No, I didn't intend to injure James, or anyone else for that matter. I hadn't expected the fireworks he'd procured to be so..unstable. It was more to try and teach him a lesson, if anything. I made a mistake, and I know that. A mistake which, yes, I tried to lay blame on others for, but it's not something I usually do unless I feel its deserved. James was, and sorry for my phrasing, idiotic for bringing fireworks out into the grounds with so many students about, and I like to think it may have ended up a lot worse if one of the first years had lit them instead. I blamed him because in my opinion, he was at fault for putting everyone in that danger to begin with. I know that doesn't excuse my actions, but that's where my thoughts were. But, when Professor Kingsley threatened to punish everyone in the immediate area, I spoke up with the sincere intention of stopping everyone else from being treated unfairly and suffering because of what I did. I won't willingly do that to people unless I feel that its justified." Esmè stated, with all honesty. Yes, in part she was keeping with saving her own skin, but no one had attempted to place blame on her at that point. It was only after she spoke up to try and aid everyone that Charlotte had ruined everything. Stupid brat. "The younger girl I blamed as she placed more people into trouble than was necessary. We may have all been let off if without any additional trouble, and less headaches for you, if she hadn't pointed me out. Her actions threw multiple people under the knight-bus, so yes, I lay blame on her where it was due." She paused again, trying to figure out how he would react. She was honest, there was no longer any point in lying to him if he could immediately tell. As far as she could recall, she hadn't placed blame on another person for her actions. Then again, she'd never been in a situation like this before. "I like to think that you're not wrong in your assumptions, Professor. Everyone makes mistakes, and I admit that I did today. It's been a difficult year, especially with the amount of shenanigans that have occurred. But I've never lost our house points in all my years here until now. While I'm not the easiest person to get along with, for the most part I try to do whats right."
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At least now, as Esme spoke, her words were not lies. His eyes narrowed at her explanation, noticing that she was winging it, which implied truth, and then there was the fact that she just kept on. It was almost justifying really. However, if he let Charlotte Owens off easy, then she was in for a bigger surprise due to the fact that she was older, and she was the one that took matters into her own hands. Once she was done, he considered her words, even replaying them bit by bit in his mind, making sure that he was going to address the concerns he had. At once, Kalif said, coolly, "It is never in your place to teach a student a lesson when it is in fact, against the rules anyway. You don't have any position of power, and you should have just walked away and let him dig his own grave. Instead, you just dug yours." If it was one thing that Kalif never did, was put emphasis on words, except when he was livid. And he sincerely was right now. One can tell when they looked into his onyx eyes. They were practically swirling with the bottomless pits of hell.

However, not once did she mention that James would have set the blame on her, rather than Charlotte. He continued to debate over millions of possibilities in his mind. Kalif scoffed slightly, shaking his head, before he continued, "So, if Charlotte had not have spoken up, you are aware that James would have. Either way, you would have been in my office here. I mean, if someone shot a spell at me, and caused something to explode, which it has mind you, I would have known who did it in a crowd. Shocked for a while, of course, but I wonder how your story would have changed then. It could have taken weeks, months even, before I found out, which is a royal shame due to the Quidditch game coming up." Kalif took another drink of his tea, before he put the cup onto the desk, finally empty.

Letting out a sigh to control his anger, he uttered, "You have disgraced the Slytherin house, and by extension, me. This may be your first offence, but I'll make sure it will be a memorable one. It isn't just a mistake you made, as you attacked a student because of your swollen ego or feel as though you are superior. As one of my students, you are to respect other peers, including Prefects and other houses. If they are doing something wrong, alert a professor or a member of staff. Even another prefect. Since you have failed to do these, and tried maneuvers to cover up your tracks, you have left me no choice." Kalif paused for a moment, regaining his breath. "Since it is too soon for Vladimir to find a replacement, consider the game against Ravenclaw to be your last. You are hereby banned from the Quidditch team, and cost the house an additional thirty points. Now, if you know what's good for you, you will leave otherwise I will resort to more drastic punishments."
 
The Lancaster girl nodded her understanding as Kalif told her she had no power, albeit bitterly. Of course she didn't, the man thought that Avie of all people was better suited for a position of some power. That had been a slap in the face. The Slytherin had been miffed for a short time about his choice of prefect. As fond as she was of the boy, he was absolutely daft. Why had he been chosen? Over her, too. Was Styx losing his touch after all these years of teaching? His eyes didn't say so. The girl glanced down, her own eyes focusing on the chipped wood across the man's desk, not willing to meet his abyssal gaze.

Regarding the matter of James speaking out against her and the upcoming Quidditch game, Esmè finally looked back up. In the heat of the moment, as she had raised her wand to ignite those fireworks, she hadn't thought about the repercussions. What would have happened if everyone had turned on her. But once she confounded him, and the majority of students refused to speak up, Esmè had figured it may not be so hard to avoid the consequences. But here she was, an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach as she realised more was on the line than just house points. "To be fair, Professor, I had approached from behind him. I'm not entirely certain he even knew it was me who did it. I figured I could talk my way out of it. If Charlotte hadn't spoken up, it was simply my word against his." She admitted, keeping to the honest route. She wanted this to be over with. Even with her growing Inner Eye, she hadn't forseen how far her actions would go. At the time, it had been a simple spell to scare off the crowd and get back at James, but this had gotten out of hand.

The Professor finished his tea, and the girl winced as he told her she was a disgrace to the house. Students had done far worse in the history of Hogwarts New Zealand, but she had disgraced Slytherin? At least she wasn't related to someone who intentionally tried to kill another student. She opened her mouth to speak as he paused for a breath, but could think of nothing to say. There wasn't much left she could defend herself with. He on the other hand, did have one final thing to say. She was banned from Quidditch. No further games following the upcoming Ravenclaw match. Banned from the Quidditch team. The words rang in her head and she stopped, her whole body seeming to just shut down. That wasn't fair. She hadn't intended to hurt anyone. All of the other students got away with their stupid pranks. Earlier in the year, the Great Hall had been flooded with jam and people had been attacked with food. She'd been pulled into a duel against James while trying to do the right thing and remove herself from the situation, but she'd been punished for that too. Because of him. He hadn't suffered any consequences. He got away with breaking the rules. Why did she have to suffer? It wasn't fair. She tried so hard, but it felt as if everywhere she went, everyone was just out of their way to annoy or aggravate her and could get away with it. She couldn't be happy because everywhere she turned, someone was there to make her unhappy. Of course she lashed out. Of course she would try and get revenge for people who had wronged her. They didn't know they first thing about her. No one had tried to get to really know her, or understand how she felt, what she went through. Her parents grew colder and more distant each year, their only care directed towards retaining their purity and setting strict rules that she dared not stray from. The constant pressure to meet their expectations, but never being good enough. The other kids had it so easy.

She felt nothing for a few moments, silence clinging to the air, like all the sound had been sucked from the room. Then came the anger, a flood of rage washing through every last inch of her being, almost knocking her off her feet with the heavy weight of sudden, intense emotion. Her body shook and her hands balled into fists, her skin stretched tightly over the bone and her knuckles becoming white in colour, drained of the blood which was now rushing to her head. Her pupils dilated and her temperature rose to a new extreme, body radiating heat and heart pounding heavily through her chest like a warm drum preparing for battle. She was furious. It would have been fine if Styx had just let her off with loss of house points. Take thirty, take fifty, but to ban her from one of the few things she enjoyed, one of the few things that kept her happy? Magical energy surged through her, her hair whipping around her head by an unseen wind and almost crackling with electricity. She was livid. "I am hereby banned from what." The girl hissed through gritted teeth, the professor's now empty teacup shattering into tiny fragments on the last word. He'd made up his mind, she knew there was no point in attempting to change it. She had little left to lose now. "You...you insufferable, pathetic, conceited, self-centered, vile piece of f***ing sh*t. How dare you. How dare you. You must think you're so untouchable and terrifying, the feared and grim-faced Slytherin Head of House who enjoys nothing more than trying to make everyone else's life as miserable as your own, but you are nothing. Someone will give you exactly what you deserve, do you hear me? You mean absolutely nothing to anyone or anything and you never will. You're a worthless, repugnant, bitter waste of space. I'll let no one take what little I have to enjoy in this hell away from me, not even you, you disgusting wretch." The ink vials on his desk followed the same fate as the cup, shattering in their spots as her magic went wild with her emotions. Underage magic wasn't uncommon for students still learning to control their magic, but she let loose on everything she held. Her rage poured out of her, but didn't seem to want to end, its source constantly replenishing itself. She wanted to grab the man by the throat and end him right there, to grab her wand and set the office ablaze, to go and find everyone who had crossed her and punish them. As much as she wanted to, and as angry as she was, she couldn't bring herself to go that far. Besides, she hadn't a doubt that by the time she reached for her wand, he'd get her first. But she so wanted to make him regret everything. She stepped forward, the toe of her shoe dipping into the ink that pooled on the office floor and her eyes narrowing, her gaze holding nothing but contempt and an intense hatred for the man. "The only person who has disgraced Slytherin House is you, old man. You are beneath me, I will not take orders from such worthless filth."
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The moment she started running her mouth, that was the end of the straw. Kalif stared her down, as insult after insult was thrown toward him. Not a single emotion could be read from his face. His eyes wondered down to the picture of his wife and family, before he pushed the option of killing her out of his mind. He smirked, at last, when she was done. He spoke, his tone utterly cold, his hand out, "Accio wand." Esme's wand flew into his hand, and he held it between his fingers. "Child, you really think insulting someone will help your case? I've been called worse by my wife." He was tired, and managed control quite well. He continued, "You've lost your wand for the rest of the year. I'll allow use of it for your classes, but that will be it. Otherwise, my stance holds. You can always transfer if you don't like it. Perhaps it might be recommended before I snap your wand in half and you end up just like Chaos."

He looked upon the mess that was made, before it cleaned itself up, and looked as though nothing happened. Even the spilled ink. This was quite hilarious really.Was he supposed to take her seriously? He doubted it. After all, if she did end up seeing Vulcan, that wasn't going to be good in her neighborhood. She didn't exactly get on his good side, and he was considering her to be a prefect but not anymore. He sat down at his desk, and placed her wand in the drawers before locking it. "I'm done with you. Go." Kalif opened the door with his wandless magic, and was tempted to banish her from his office, but no. What had him almost in stitches inside was that he was loving that he was making her miserable. Her stay here would be the worst thing she had ever endured. However, the moment she and Vulcan get serious, he'd end it with someone in the grave. Being Patriarch sure had its perks.
 
With how angry she felt, the girl almost didn't notice the tugging at her robes until the repugnant man in front of her was holding her wand between his grimy hands. The sleek, hawthorn wood had only ever been held by two people in it's life, its maker and Esmè. It had chosen the Slytherin, and she cherished it above any other material item. In the five years since she had received it from Ollivanders, it had become an extension of herself. When Kalif took it from her, he took more than just a magical stick, he'd stolen a part of her. Losing her position in Quidditch paled in comparison to this. Without her wand, she was barely any better than a mewling muggle. How dare he. The Lancaster girl took another step forward, barely listening to what he had to say, but as multiple thoughts crossed her mind, endless possibilities on how she would act next, how she would make him pay, she realised that none of them ended in her favour. There was nothing she could do. To him. She could, she would reclaim her wand, even if it meant coming back and tearing his office apart, but not now. Even she knew when she had lost. Instead, the girl turned away, unable to stand the vile man's face any further. He'd indicated that it was time for her to leave, and she did so, with a new goal on her mind. Powerless or not, there were other people she would make pay. James Adams. Charlotte Owens. Even that Hemi boy. One by one, she was going to find them and take from them the same thing she had just lost herself.

As the seeress passed through the doorway, the corridor in front of her melted away, it's solid state cascading down into a violent vortex of colour, churning together as her very reality distorted itself. In moments, the scene had changed entirely. No longer was she stood inside the confines of the school castle, another building had taken its place, one she was not familiar with. What she did recognise however, was Kalifs face. That, she could never forget. Except, unlike a mere minute ago, he appeared older. She too, felt different. Taller? Another man stood with him, unrecognisable to her, yet somehow she knew exactly who he was. As her eyes further surveyed the room, she found a third face that she knew, better than the others. Vulcan lay on the cold, stone floor, his usual smirk gone and his eyes open, glassy and unmoving. There was no life there. What was happening? Before she had time to process the situation, to even act, Kalif spoke to the man, who began to walk towards her, his wand raised. She wanted to move, to get away from him as fast as she could, but she could only watch, unable to control her own body. The man spoke and fear wretched her heart, before a flash of green light filled her vision, followed by nothing but darkness.

Esmè blinked, the incredibly vivid vision fading as she returned to the present. She stood in Professor Styx's office once more, staring past the man as his voice rang in her ears. He was only a few feet away, yet somehow sounded distant to her, almost as if listening to him while submerged in water. Her view of him was very much the same, until the girl realised her eyes had filled with tears, not quite ready to start running down her face. The Slytherin had just seen her boyfriend, his life taken from him, followed by her own death, yet now here she was, back to being reprimanded by her head of house. Had it been the future? At times, the girl experienced prophetic dreams, minor flashes of what was to come, but nothing as strong as this. Her teenage outburst had led to a much graver outcome. She'd always seen Styx as unpleasant, but never a murderer. But, she had just witnessed him order her to be killed. As she re-oriented herself with reality, the man's voice cleared. He was telling her that she was banned from Quidditch. She hadn't lost control yet, hadn't lashed out at him. Her hand fell to her side, feeling the familiar warmth of her wand through her robe pocket. It was still there. He had yet to confiscate it. She could try to kill him, before he could do the same to her, or she could try and change what she'd seen. Besides, she wasn't sure if it would work. She wasn't going to risk attempting a killing curse on a man if it simply fizzled.

Still trying to piece together what was real and what wasn't, Esmè realised Styx had finished speaking. She hadn't been listening, an empty feeling had taken a hold of her, but she had already heard it all once before. She had a chance to fix things, to stop the outcome she'd seen from taking place. She drew in a breath, an attempt to calm herself down before she spoke. This time, instead of anger in her voice and energy crackling around her very being, she spoke clearly and devoid of emotion. With so much going on, her heart didn't know what to feel and closed itself off. "I understand, professor. I apologise for what I did, and for letting you down. It won't happen again." She stated, unable to discern any of his facial features as they were lost beneath the watery blur of hot tears she was trying desperately to hold back. She couldn't allow herself to cry in front of this demon. With that said and done, she gave him a small nod of her head and turned, exiting the room for the second, though technically first time. The moment the door closed behind her, the tears finally fell. She didn't know what to do. She wanted to talk to Vulcan, or Lucien, or even Aeon, while another part of her just wanted to go to her dorm and sleep for the rest of the year. She felt drained, lost between what she'd seen had what she could do about it. Slumping into an empty seat inside the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom, Esmè left herself to spend the next hour trying to piece herself back together before she could face the rest of the school once again.
 
Kalif narrowed his eyes slightly only to have seen that Esme looked as though she just glassed over or something. Shaking his head, she apologized and left the office. For that, he would only extend her punishment until next year. So, she would be missing a grand total of one game. Kalif sat down in his chair once more, and murmured, "I'll let her know that soon enough." He got back to grading his papers, relieved that there was some sort of respect still living. Perhaps this girl had promise after all.
 

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