Due Punishment
‘A word with you, Mr. Vaisey?’
As Ginny approached the Seventh Year Prefect of Slytherin House, she wondered just how the custom of formal address among the Seventh Year students had developed. She suspected it had something to do with the accelerated Seventh Years who had taken their NEWTs just before Christmas. Only a handful of the original students of that year had returned to Hogwarts, all of them changed by the war. Formal address had eased things along between them, and somehow the regular Seventh Years had picked up that habit.
‘Yes, Headgirl Weasley?’
Ginny rolled her eyes. What was it with Slytherins and their sneers?
‘Prefect Vaisey, I request a moment of your precious time. In the Trophy Room, if you please.’
oooOooo
The moment they entered the Trophy Room, Ginny Weasley got down to business. ‘Prefect Vaisey, I assume you are planning to punish Miss Petrel for her negligence concerning Madam Snape’s cat. When you mete out that punishment, I shall be present.’
‘What?’ he stared at her, taken aback. Regaining his composure, Vaisey replied smoothly, ‘Headgirl Weasly, I believe according to school regulations that is none of your busines.’
Weasley wasn’t impressed. ‘School regulations, humbug. Vaisey, Alina is Hermione’s friend. She’s the daugher of my brother’s girlfriend. I am making this my business. You have a choice. Either I’ll be present when you punish Alina, or I’ll take the whole matter to your Head of House. Imagine how pleased Professor Snape will be when we bother him with this.’
Vaisey sighed. This was certainly not a good weekend for Slytherin House. To be at the mercy of the other Houses not once, but three times in one day was degrading.
‘Very well. Here’s what we will do…’
oooOooo
‘…that’s a…quite educational punishment, Mr. Vaisey.’ Ginny narrowed her eyes at the brown-haired Slytherin. Vaisey smirked, a subtle sparkle in his pale green eyes.
‘Miss Petrel promises to grow into a powerful witch. She needs to learn not to let things…slip from her grasp, or to lose control,’ he explained. ‘It’s actually a modified version of an exercise I’ve been conducting with my Third Year DADA study-group. As such it was approved by Professor Weasley.’
Vaisey smirked at the Headgirl’s confusion. Confusion that turned into a frown.
‘Vaisey? Am I imagining things, or do you actually care about her? Do you realise that Alina is a CHILD?’
Cold anger surged through Vaisey. Why did the other Houses always expect the very worst of Slytherin? He clenched his teeth. But of course he knew why. He forced himself to provide a polite answer.
‘Yes, I most certainly do realise that, Headgirl Weasley. Contrary to popular assumptions, the customs of Slytherin House are not that depraved.’ He didn’t know what prompted him, but he added in a moment of rare boldness, ‘I am very much aware that Miss Petrel is a child now. However, it should prove interesting to meet her again, say, eight or ten years from now.’
Weasley’s frown deepened, but she didn’t comment.
‘Very well,’ Vaisey said wearily. ‘I shall expect you at the entrance of Slytherin House tonight at ten o’clock.’
oooOooo
Alina was almost petrified with fear as she stepped into the torture chamber. As she had suspected, the prefects of her House had decided that her punishment would serve as an inauguration ceremony for the newly discovered room.
All six prefects of Slytherin House were present. And—a wave of such intense relief flooded Alina that her knees went quite weak—Headgirl Ginny Weasley. But Ginny’s arms were crossed in front of her chest, and her face was cold. Alina realised that Ginny was not there to prevent her punishment.
‘Alina Petrel,’ Prefect Vaisey commanded. ‘Tell us why you are here.’
‘I—I—have—been negligent with m– my duties. A— and because of that—I have brought shame to m– my House. I’m sorry, sir. I’m really, really sorry!’
She wanted to say that she still didn’t understand how Crookshanks could have escaped from her room, but she knew that didn’t matter. He had escaped, and the subsequent collaboration with the other Houses had cost Slytherin pride dearly. They would be the butt of school-jokes for months.
‘I deserve to be punished,’ she added in a small voice. ‘I’m here to request my punishment.’
‘Very well,’ Vaisey said. ‘Step in front of that wall.’
He pointed to the wall where the heavy chains with shackles and manacles were set into the stones. Trembling, Alina obeyed.
‘Wand out!’ Vaisey commanded.
That surprised Alina, but she pulled her wand out of her sleeve.
Then everything happened at once.
‘Expelliarmus!’ shouted Fifth Year prefect Angela Sutron, and Alina’s wand flew from her hand.
‘Compedio!’ cried Sixth Year prefect Graham Pritchard. Shackles snapped around her ankles, chaining her to the wall.
‘Pulta!’ ordered Vaisey. Alina’s wand rose into the air and raced towards her.
Then the beating started.
oooOooo
‘Alina? Are you okay?’ Geilis’ worried voice penetrated the warm shelter of her blankets. ‘Alina? Please, talk to me! Or—or—I’ll call Mrs. Snape!’
‘No!’ Alina shot up and instantly winced with pain. ‘Don’t you dare!’ She glared at Geilis with her left eye, as the right one was rather spectacularly blackened.
‘OH MERLIN, Alina! You’re bruised all over! Does it hurt very badly?’
Alina forced herself to face her friend and stiffly shook her head. ‘It’s really not as bad as it looks. What’s worse is the disgrace of it all. Gilly, they had me wandless and shackled in a second! And then they made my OWN wand wallop me. I had to catch it, and break the power of the Charm with my willpower. Not with a spell. Just with the power of my mind.’ Tears of humiliation burned in Alina’s eyes. ‘Obviously FLOBBERWORMS have more willpower than I do.’
‘You can’t leave the dorm looking like that,’ Geilis told her. ‘Look, how about I get a jar of bruise balm for you?’
Oh, Chartres cathedral! What a perfect destination!
I visited there in high school when on the exchange program. It was the first cathedral I ever visited, and I shall never forget the feeling of amazement!
They are working on restoring the windows at the moment. I think they will be done in 2011/2012 … can’t wait to see it again then, all bright like at the time it was built.
I loved your story… so far. But Severus Snape in a church? Oh my, quite OOC, but OK, he needed someone to talk to, so I drop the topic.
BUt this punishment for Alina is rather brutal. And for what? That a half-Keazle cat disappeared for two days? C’mooooon…. And Ginny was standing there and watching? What happened to your characters? They were sooo perfect! Especially Snape, and now this chatedral, or church, or whatever…
Ok, I’ll read on, just wanted to tell my thoughts.
Thank you for spending time with my story. Thank you even more for taking the time to leave a comment! I’m glad you enjoy it so far.
Why shouldn’t Snape visit a church? And where in canon does it say he wouldn’t? 😉
Re: Alina’s punishment – I’d be shocked if you didn’t think it harsh!
However … even at “Muggle” boarding schools traditions of hazing and punishment among students are incredibly cruel and harsh in real life. JKR chose to ignore that part of public school tradition; I decided against that. The shock and revulsion you (hopefully) feel are quite intentional.
Please feel free to offer your thoughts any time, I’m always curious about what my readers think. Even if I don’t agree with them. 😉
Oh, don’t get me wrong! Of course it is not impossible for him to go a place like a church, I just feel like it’s wierd.
And as for Alina, yes, I felt shock. That was oh, ‘harsh’ is not the right word. But the most shocking thing was that Ginny was standing there and watching, without a word.
So I was relieved when she told the whole thing to Hermione.
And that part with McGonagoll, and keep your stupid cup, LOL 😀 Loved that.
That’s fine, really. 🙂 I am trying to portray Severus as a character with unexpected depths, after all.
I have read your story on fanfiction.net a while back but I really like this version better. it gives a lot more… structure? character? feeling? to the story.. I am unable to describe the exact thing.. but still.
Good work all around..
I am thrilled that you’re enjoying the way I present my story here! And what a wonderful compliment that you came back to read it again. w00t
I love Chartres Cathedral. I wrote a paper on it for Art History class and found that the Masons built many esoteric features into it. When I actually was fortunate enough to visit it in person, it had a spiritual effect on me. I visited many other cathedrals in France that trip, and none of them made me feel the way that one did.
I’m so glad Severus took Hermione there. Still not sure why he would, but your Severus seems full of surprises. I’m sure, given time, he will grow to love her as much as she does him. He is well on his way already.
Great story.
Chartres is amazing. 🙂
Re: Severus – in canon he always struck me as a man of many (surprising) secrets. So I enjoyed giving him a few more in my story!
I have never seen the Chatres Cathedral, but I have seen other cathedrals and can imagine the feeling this one can give you. Loved the pictures.
So, Alina is a Necromancer, whatever that is. I hope I don’t need more information than you give within this story. (I don’t know the books you refer there.)
That punishment was really harsh and unusual, but I can see this within the HP universe, even if it was never described. The HP universe has a lot of really cruel customs. I remember how shocked I was at the outcome of the Triwizard tournament. I think this fits with the feeling the House of Slytherin gave me as portrayed in the books.
What is a half kneazel? You just need to know cats to know they can vanish for days without anyone finding them. The castle is big and Crookshanks had years to explore the thing. It seems the students don’t know cats very well 😉 . But I can imagine how desperate poor Alina was when she noticed the cat was missing. From there on everything just spun out of control. I just hope that this incident plus the bell incident didn’t cost Alina her Slytherin friends. She needs friends in school and not just friends in other houses or among the staff.
Necromancers (the manifestation of Sauron in Dol Guldur was called a Necromancer, too) are wizards with a special affinity for the dead, to put it simply. They can talk to the dead or control zombies … depends on the interpretation, really. I was fascinated with the world-building in the “Abhorsen” books, and in conjunction with some HP death magic (like the Veil), it seemed to me an interesting AU angle to explore.
Re: the punishment, yes, yes, yes, exactly! This is one of the scenes that usually leaves readers totally shocked. But based on what I know about “normal” hazing in Muggle British public schools, I think Slytherin must have been ten times worse. And isn’t it how those things usually go? Good intentions all around and suddenly you’re sitting in a handbasket and it’s getting awfully hot and the air smells of sulphur …
Kneazles: http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Kneazle
(I think they show that JKR doesn’t really know cats, because they are like that and do all that stuff without any magic, thank you very much. 😉 )
Beautiful. As is the rest of this novel, but this was so unexpected! Looking forward to the whole unchartered territory ahead of our newlyweds.
20 years? It’s high time I saw Chartres again, and took my son (it’s ridiculously near my usual place).
And I’ll go on minding my h’s 😉
Thank you for reading! And oh, Chartres … you’re lucky to live so close. I’ve been wanting to visit again for years … the windows are supposed to be better than ever after the restoration. But unfortunately I live really, really far away. *sigh*
I’m glad you’re enjoying the story! *hearts*