It was difficult to miss the clanking of chains, and Lady Helena found herself once again wishing that he’d have disposed of them once and for all. She could only assume they were hardly comfortable and there really was no need to keep dragging them around. Furthermore, the distance he kept had not escaped her notice, but rather than to draw attention to it, her ladyship merely nodded in acknowledgement of his arrival.

"You are quite on time, Alfred," she said kindly, turning swiftly in anticipation of Nicholas’ arrival only to note that it was not his arrival, but that of one of his Gryffindors. She tightened her clasp of her hands, relaxing only slightly with Nicholas’ arrival just behind him.

Though this was not a conversation the student need hear, there was little time left to fix things lest circumstances grow increasingly dire and Lady Helena hoped they could come to an agreement sooner rather than later. She spared a stiff glance over at the student, finding herself to be grateful for the Baron’s warnings.

"Regardless, matters are only growing worse," she reminded the Baron. Surely if the staff had noticed, they would have put an abrupt end to the new changes.