"Fifteen points?!" Millie gasped in shock, her ears closed to the professor's next words. Fifteen points. That was three correct questions in class. That was an exceptionally well-worded essay. That was a perfect potion, which she already knew was impossible for her. The young witch blinked at such a heavy infraction for something that was not even her fault. "But he—"
"That also comes with an automatic detention."
Color drained from the young witch's face, leaving her pallid and cold inside. A dead weight fell upon her stomach, dropping it like a stone to the floor. Millie couldn't swallow, she nearly couldn't breathe! "De...ten...tion?!" the chilled witch rasped, her voice thready and distant. When a shiver ran down her spin, Millie was shocked to find herself numb to it. It surprised her even more to find that she couldn't cry, either.
The points were a black stain upon the ever-worsening reality of detention settling over the young witch. Never, never ever, in her time at Hogwarts had she earned herself a detention. A few point infractions, a sharp word from a prefect, even a stern lecture from a professor once. It all paled in comparison to now.
"Ple—"
"Pl—"
"P—"
She couldn't get her mouth to form the words anymore, the plea dying on her tongue. The small, smooth links of Millie's chain necklace ran underneath her fingers, easing some tense part of her brain. They went there automatically, even involuntarily, responding to a need more basic than the relief she so desperately desired. That soothing desire met its needs underneath her fingertips, passing over silver links she knew by heart until her mind found calm again.
"I'm sorry, Professor." Millie's eyes stared down at the floor, her head brought low by the circumstances. By her own doing, she reminded herself. She never meant to get so caught up in pursuing the young Finnigan, or worse, raise her wand against him. The third year knew exactly where she could practice magic, and the corridors were strictly off-limits for that. She was just doing the right thing, by stopping the boy's escape she could make sure he'd learn not to steal from professors again. Except now the right thing had turned into the wrong actions, and it was all her own doing that landed her in this mess.
Detention!
Millie wanted to protest even more, just like the boy had done. It wasn't fair that she was being blamed for using a spell when it hadn't even worked! Particularly after the Finnigan boy used a spell on her first! It was humiliating, being accused of an unauthorized duel when she couldn't even cast her own response. Still, the young witch bore that humiliation quietly, demure in the face of authority. Nothing was going to move the weight of the Professor's judgement now. Her sentence might as well have been written in stone.
A breath sneaked in through her nose, raising her head along with it. Millie shook it, letting the weight on her tongue blow out with her breath again. "I'm fine," she said, adding only too late in the littelest voice, "thank you, Professor."
The young witch wanted nothing more now than to head straight to her dorm and bury her head in her pillow. If not to muffle the sounds of crying when it finally came back to her, then at least to stop everyone else from seeing the shame on her face.
"May I go now?"
"That also comes with an automatic detention."
Color drained from the young witch's face, leaving her pallid and cold inside. A dead weight fell upon her stomach, dropping it like a stone to the floor. Millie couldn't swallow, she nearly couldn't breathe! "De...ten...tion?!" the chilled witch rasped, her voice thready and distant. When a shiver ran down her spin, Millie was shocked to find herself numb to it. It surprised her even more to find that she couldn't cry, either.
The points were a black stain upon the ever-worsening reality of detention settling over the young witch. Never, never ever, in her time at Hogwarts had she earned herself a detention. A few point infractions, a sharp word from a prefect, even a stern lecture from a professor once. It all paled in comparison to now.
"Ple—"
"Pl—"
"P—"
She couldn't get her mouth to form the words anymore, the plea dying on her tongue. The small, smooth links of Millie's chain necklace ran underneath her fingers, easing some tense part of her brain. They went there automatically, even involuntarily, responding to a need more basic than the relief she so desperately desired. That soothing desire met its needs underneath her fingertips, passing over silver links she knew by heart until her mind found calm again.
"I'm sorry, Professor." Millie's eyes stared down at the floor, her head brought low by the circumstances. By her own doing, she reminded herself. She never meant to get so caught up in pursuing the young Finnigan, or worse, raise her wand against him. The third year knew exactly where she could practice magic, and the corridors were strictly off-limits for that. She was just doing the right thing, by stopping the boy's escape she could make sure he'd learn not to steal from professors again. Except now the right thing had turned into the wrong actions, and it was all her own doing that landed her in this mess.
Detention!
Millie wanted to protest even more, just like the boy had done. It wasn't fair that she was being blamed for using a spell when it hadn't even worked! Particularly after the Finnigan boy used a spell on her first! It was humiliating, being accused of an unauthorized duel when she couldn't even cast her own response. Still, the young witch bore that humiliation quietly, demure in the face of authority. Nothing was going to move the weight of the Professor's judgement now. Her sentence might as well have been written in stone.
A breath sneaked in through her nose, raising her head along with it. Millie shook it, letting the weight on her tongue blow out with her breath again. "I'm fine," she said, adding only too late in the littelest voice, "thank you, Professor."
The young witch wanted nothing more now than to head straight to her dorm and bury her head in her pillow. If not to muffle the sounds of crying when it finally came back to her, then at least to stop everyone else from seeing the shame on her face.
"May I go now?"
![[Image: uHwnE8q.png]](https://i.imgur.com/uHwnE8q.png)