Needing to speak to Professor Vindictus, you walk up to the door that has a large emblem from Cooper's school mounted directly above the professor's nameplate. Upon closer inspection, you notice that someone tried to pry it off and then it's obvious it's stuck there with a permanent sticking charm.

Once inside the office, you are in a state of shock at the surroundings. Is this actually Professor Vindictus's office? Gone are all of the comforts of the past - no blue couches, no coffee table laden with goodies, no trophies or awards or even a single picture of the man himself! The walls are a pale caramel color with the trim painted in snow white. The floor is of highly waxed oak planks covered in an expensive Persian rug of moss green, burgundy, and gold. There are chairs in the room for students but they are of a hard mahogany - the same material that the massive desk is made out of and not even Vindictus has a comfortable chair. Every single furniture item has been stamped with an "M" for Ministry of Magic. Then you notice that the room does have one portrait - a massive oil painting of Minister Brennan Cooper dressed as a Quidditch player is hanging over the fireplace (also stuck with a permanent sticking charm).

The door is unlocked, so come in and have a seat. Professor Vindictus will be with you shortly.

After getting lost for a while, trying to find Vindictus's office, Ryan finally found it....in an unusual place, nonetheless. And what was even stranger was that his name placard said "Half-wit Jock." Now, the jock part, Ryan understood, but the half-wit? No...this man was the head of the illustrious house of Ravenclaw! Impossible that this man was a half-wit. He made a note to tell Vindictus that his sign was completely inaccurate when the man came back.

He continued to look around and was completely shocked that the room was so....bland. It wasn't as lavish as he remembered, nor was it quite as blue or filled with his quidditch memorabilia. There weren't even pictures of his star niece or his wife or new son! What was this world coming to?

Well, Ryan guessed he would have to make the best of it, and sat down on a rather uncomfortable and lumpy chair with only the picture of the Minister for company...

Vindictus walked in and nodded at Ryan who was already waiting for him. "Don't say it," he said and sat down on a hard chair that squeaked. He glanced up and met the idiotic gaze of the person in the portait. "Permanent sticking charm. Wonder if the git did anything else to it. Oh, sorry Ryan. Didn't mean to think out loud. Is there something you need?"

Ryan was absent-mindedly looking around the room for shortbread. He couldn't smell it, see it, and since it wasn't there, taste it. It was killing him.

As Vindictus walked in, Ryan nodded back. He immediately understood that man was obviously very annoyed with the whole situation, just as he predicted.

"I don't know if there really was anything specific I needed...I think I just needed a familiar face to help calm the shock. Professor, what have they done here?" He looked around the office once more, still trying to take everything in. "Both with your office and the whole school!"

A worried look appeared on his face. He was confused, and he didn't like it. And after a second in thought, he asked, "What's going to happen to us? To the school? To quidditch?!" He couldn't take it. He didn't mind not having girls around, and he could make do with the new rules and living conditions. He could even do without the books in the common room, but no quidditch? It was part of who he was!

And then he realized that he was standing and his hands were in fists again. He took a deep breath to relax himself and sat back down. "And while I'm here, thank you for the opportunity to lead Ravenclaw in quidditch, but I'm worried I may not even get that chance now thanks to him." Ryan gestured toward the picture of Cooper (very slightly, just in case the man was watching) and whispered the last word so he was barely audible.

Vindictus smirked and pointed to the portrait of the Minister. "Do you honestly think he knows remotely anything about Quidditch?" he asked and raised an eyebrow. "Look at his grip on the broom . . . his body position on the broom . . . and he owns the Wimbourne Wasps. Need I say anything else?"

He waited a few minutes before continuing. "First lesson is tomorrow. Round up the House and have them all there. And mark my words - we will have Quidditch this term with or without the girls."

"Oh, believe me," Ryan said, commenting on Vindictus' observation of the Minister's picture, "That was one of the first things I noticed." He continued staring at the picture, and without looking at his Professor, he added, "It makes me cringe."

At the mention of the Wasps, Ryan's mouth dropped. "Really? Well....that explains a lot..."

Aha...his first unofficial assignment. "Got it, professor. I'll round up the troops." He nodded to show he understood.

"I wasn't too nervous about quidditch, because I knew you wouldn't let anything happen to it, but just hearing you say it makes me feel so much better. Thank goodness we've got such a strong foundation for Quidditch AND the Ravenclaw house."

Vindictus had just watched Ryan walk out of his hideous office when another face appeared in the doorway. "Come in, come in! Ignore the portrait over the fireplace and have a seat."

"Hehehe," Vindictus laughed and sat down on his hard desk chair. "So you're Cale, the new Ravenclaw Prefect. It's fantastic to finally put a face to your name. How are the boys treating you?" Dirt on his hands . . . smells like dirt too. Must like the outdoors. This one should be less explosive than Juno.

"You're not the only one who's upset with the common room," Vindictus smiled. "I guess the Minister holds an old grudge against me and this is his way of getting even. I prefer blue, too but white isn't that bad, Cale - the Hufflepuff Common Room is decorated in lilac streaked with black." He looked again at the boy's hands and decided to ask. "Are you an avid outdoorsman? The dirt on your hands has me a bit curious."

"Congratulations on such a splendid achievement!" Vindictus grinned. "I love hearing about the accomplishments of all Ravenclaws. Since you obviously love herbology, how do you like the greenhouses? Are they green?"

"Oh, that's not good. Plants need a warm place to grow. Am I right?" Vindictus asked. "Just like grass on the Pitch needs water and sunshine and tender loving care." He sighed and his shoulders drooped.

"My Pitch," he said softly. "It's being neglected and I can't get to it. The grass is dying...." Vindictus cleared his throat and straightened up a little in his chair. "But I'm quite determined to be the optimist - hopefully the current Flying homework assignment can help me argue my case when I meet with the id- I mean, Mr. Cooper in a few weeks."

"I'll definitely ask for your help, Cale," Vindictus beamed since the happy thought of weeding the Pitch brought a sparkle to his blue eyes. "I do like blue and this room is lacking in that color, but I'm not too sure about a plant since I'm not always in here."

"Is that a fungus?" Vindictus joked and laughed at Cale's enthusiasm. The boy had a way of cheering him up. "Okay, okay! Now if I agree to a ficus plant, you're in charge of watering it."

Vindictus laughed. "Just remember our deal and I'll leave the door unlocked since there really isn't anything in here that I value." He narrowed his eyes at the portrait over the fireplace. "Can the ficus cover up that painting?"