Sanity of the Professors, yes that was a good reason to have Blaise come to the criminal cell for his detention. Julien knew he couldn't be the only one having these issues with Blaise so if he could help get through to the boy he was going to and thankfully he had gotten some assistance in this task.

He entered the room once he greeted the boy at the door. "Now can you tell me why we ended up here in the first place?" He was half tempted to make the third year clean like Haddie for the respect rag to shrink as he gave excuses, but that wasn't why they were here. No, they were here because the child didn't try to work on spells or even give any effort. Just excuses, Julien knew he could do it if he gave more effort and hopefully by the end of this detention that would be exactly what Blaise would start doing.

*Deadpan*

What did he MEAN why he ended up here in the first place?? Had the man forgotten in the space of time it had taken them to have this detention? He'd literally JUST said it the night before. Had it been that long a day? Did the man hold that many detentions in his not so spare time?

Blaise's brows crinkled as he watched the man, unsure as to whether or not it was a trick question. In the end though, rhetorical or not, he DID reply because he figured that would get this detention over with that much sooner.

While many might have given a smart remark in an effort to let the Professor see the error of his ways, the boy opted for the more candid root. The aim was to be as unremarkable as possible. This way, it wouldn't hurt so much knowing his quill wasn't here to document. The boy often passed on dull affairs, he would simply have to make this one as well.

"I'm here because I failed to follow instructions both in class then in your office when you ordered me to use magic. I don't do magic and you don't tolerate that." So here they were.

Julien was relieved that Blaise saw it his way. He knew he was strict on the students, but he hoped at some point they would realize it was for their best interest and it meant he though they had potential. When Julien Primeaux stopped trying that's when students should be worried.

He turned to fully took at Blaise as the third year spoke. "I'm glad you were listening and we are on the same page. Now, you would not be here if you would have at least gave me some effort. I fully believe you could be a great wizard, but your lack of confidence is not helping you. I hope by the end of this you won't be afraid to give effort."

He walked to the wall where something was hanging covered and a table was standing against. "I have a locked box, random items that need to be sent away, and a plain piece of parchment. You are going to take this time to unlock and then lock the box, vanish the random items, and practice putting color and shapes on this parchment. I do have a list of the charms that you will be using in case you had forgotten what they are." He looked up at him to make sure he was paying attention. "I am not asking you to master the charms tonight. So I want to make that clear right now." He wasn't going to deal with that attitude he got from a different student. "You like in my class and in my office are expected to attempt them and practice them."

He moved and pulled the covering to show a small girl in a portrait standing watching them. "This is Sophia she's going to help us out today. Sophia has a special talent that you will soon see if it needs to be shown." Giving Sophia a smile he turned and headed towards the other side of the room and pulled out some parchments.

"I'll be doing some markings, but I am here and can hear and seeing everything. Do you understand everything you need to do?"

FINALLY!

She couldn't help the little squeal that left her lips once the cover was removed. The twelve year old blonde smiled and waved at the boy. He was cute, but she remembered she was there for a purpose and she nodded as the professor said about her talent. Yes, someone was actually liking what she could do for once. Most just hated it and told her to leave. She was even put in the dusty dark storage room because of it.

For now she would stand quietly watching.

Blaise had been all ready to end the detention quickly. He figured he'd use a regular quill to write a few lines about following instructions or stare at the wall or Merlin knew what.

What he didn't expect was that long to-do list filled with spells that instantly left the boy feeling drained. He didn't want to do all those, he didn't even want to do one. Why would he have to do so much casting in one night? Typically, on his own, he only ever practiced one spell at a time. This was...well...it left him feeling quite overwhelmed. He'd never done so much casting in one go.

A blank look slid onto the boy's face. "I don't want to do all those. I can't and I won't. Pick one."

Blaise glanced over at the portrait. It wasn't one he'd seen before but she and her 'special talent' were the least of his growing concerns. How in hell was he going to do so much casting????

It wasn't possible. Just no.

He didn't even get up from his seat and he didn't stop marking the paper he was looking over. He figured Blaise would do that. He was aware of how stubborn the boy was. He wasn't nearly has hard to break as Daxton, but he was a close second.

"The directions were to try and to practice. I did not say you have to have them mastered before leaving. Work on one for a bit and then move to the next one. Like I have tried to make clear many times that I do not expect success right away, but in my classroom and my office when asked to do something I do expect you to try and give your best."

He shook his head as Sophia looked as if she was going to show her talent too soon. "Give him time to try." No need for her just yet.

"Whenever you wish to get started."

Sophia was bouncing and giggling. This was going to be fun. As the boy said he couldn't do what was ask she edged herself as close as her frame would allow and grinned mischievously.

But... but...


She wasn't allowed to do anything yet? No, this wasn't the plan and she wanted to play.

Oh for the love of Merlin. Practising one at a time? Was he being serious?

"That'll take all night." Blaise informed the Professor who was obviously forseeing some miracle that the boy knew would not be coming. "How long is long enough of practising? When should I decide to move on to the next spell?" And where was the supposed spell list? It wasn't as if he took the time to learn half these incantations by heart.

He did catch the eagerness of the portrait from the corner of his eyes but as she didn't begin doing anything, he figured his attention was better left on Professor Primeaux.

"I can't get started. I don't know the spells nor how long I should be practising." Nor did he want to practice. Merlin's beard why did no one understand his limited desire to be near magic?

He was still questioning, did the professor see and hear? She was itching to get to do her talent. No one ever liked her talent and she was finally getting to be proud of it. As he kept talking and not practicing the twelve year old began to bounce in her frame.

It was time....

She was doing it...


AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH


Hands to her ears she screamed the highest pitch scream anyone's ears had ever heard. If there was glass around it would have broken.

There was the scream and Julien was not ready for it. He pulled his wand and put a shield on his ears. Giving the girl looks he finally got up. "SOPHIA" He looked at her to stop.

"Now that we know what Sophia's talent is this is what's going to happen every moment you aren't trying. Sophia's scream is not pleasant and in a room like this will be ear shattering." He transfigured one of the random items into a clock and set it up. "You will have two hours to complete this detention. You decide how long you are going to practice each spell in those two hours. Sophia will decide if you are giving your best effort." Was he making himself clear?

He pointed to the table where the list of spells were. "As I said earlier they are here for your reference. " Moving back to his seat he looked towards Sophia and nodded so she knew she could continue if needed and he kept the charm on his ears.

Blaise had been looking to the Professor for a response, forgetting the girl in her frame until she made herself known once more. The scream. The 13 year old turned to the frame--to the siren that had been unleashed and he stared his most resentful stare.

In truth, she reminded him of his little sister when she wasn't getting her way--but only when their parents weren't around to give her pointed looks for it. Sometimes he'd lock himself in his room to get away from her, other times he'd cover her mouth to muffle it. Right now he could do neither; all that was left was staring.

Slowly, he drifted toward her. He couldn't understand why a portrait would need to cover her ears when she didn't truly have nerve endings or the like connecting any part of her to the other but that wasn't why he was staring. He was staring at her to stop it. To stop the horrid noise she was making that threatened to send him into a headache. How lucky the Professor was to know a charm to prevent this though even if it was offered, the boy would make no move to learn it.

When the Professor finally got her to stop, Blaise turned to face the man again, his resolve as strong as it had been a moment ago. "Have her shatter my ears then. Have her scream until the inside of my ears become a mess or my brain turns to mush." The Gryffindor walked over to the list on the table, giving it a once over. "I've decided I'm done practising the spells for tonight." Because he said he could decide when, yeah? "I already know both the locking and unlocking charms, it would be pointless practising them now." Given he'd dedicated a day to learning each back when he did. It was more than enough practise to last him a lifetime.

His finger slid down the page, having skimmed those two. "Evanesco isn't a charm." And a look to the man who was currently telling him to make an attempt at advanced Transfiguration. "If no other First to Fourth Year has to learn it before their OWLs, then I don't think I need to be ahead of the curve there." If Char and Bentley and Phillip and Chloe and all them hadn't even BEGUN to think about this, what chance did he have?

And so his finger slid further onto the next items on the list. "I don't think I understand why I need to learn these two, other than because you said so. I don't use magic for entertainment, it's not entertaining in the least bit."

He could tolerate many things, but his patients were thin and Blaise's constant refusal of trying. He just didn't understand it. Why did students think they could just tell an adult no? Where was the in charge rule of professors before he got there that made these students feel they could just walk all over them. "She won't scream if you are working and doing what I've asked." Shaking his head he looked at Blaise in disbelief, "Do you really think that will fly? You are in detention and you haven't even tried a charm yet. You will decide when you are done with one charm to move to the next. I will decide when you can leave. There is no ifs, there are no buts, there are no trying to say no. You will do these. Charms is a subject that you need your wand. You will start using it." Was he making himself clear?

"Evanesco might be a transfiguration charm, but according to your first year lesson plans you learned Depulso which is a banishing charm that will help you get rid of these items. So that will be the one you will be practicing and since you learned it in your first year it shouldn't be too hard." There was not one charm on the list that he didn't learn in the three years he had been here. Julien had made sure of that. "You will learn those, because I said so. Now there is no more talking. Get to work."

Blaise thought it was absolutely typical; the Professor wasn't listening. He wasn't listening to a single thing he said and that was probably why they were down here to begin with. He didn't take Charms, ergo he never needed his wand. "I have decided. I'm done with both the locking and unlocking charm." And you couldn't very well have a transfiguration charm. The point was that Evanesco wasn't any sort of charm to begin with but apparently it wasn't the one he was using?

Banishing? A moment ago he'd said Vanishing, two very different things. That changed everything. Naturally, Depulso was a charm he'd gotten around to in his self studies so......."Much like the locking and unlocking charm, I already know depulso. It's not practise which means I'm done with that one too." Because the Professor DID say he could decide when he was done with each spell and changing his mind from vanishing to banishing knocked another one right off the Gryffindor's to-do list--which worked brilliantly for him.

It only left...

"Because you said so isn't a good reason. I said I don't like magic and don't want to learn. By your principle, I should be allowed to leave 'because I said so'. Give me another punishment. I've completed most of the charms on this list already which I think is more progress than even you were expecting."

Blaise turned to survey the dim room. "It's awful dirty in here, let me clean it or I could write you an essay on respect or maybe I could help you with your marking or you could hang me by my ankles and have that girl screech some more. I'm not opposed to punishment, Sir, I'll serve my time and accept full responsibility for being down here but I meant what I said. I won't do magic, not because you say so." That wasn't how it worked, rather, that wasn't how his wand worked.

His eyes flicked from his marking to Blaise and back again. "I said you could decide when you were done practicing you can't say you are done if you haven't even started. This is not up for debate. I am the professor you are the student. When I give directions you follow them. That is how school works, that is how lessons work. Charms is a foundation class for wizards. You have to pass my class to get through your schooling here at Hogwarts. If I have not seen the progress, the progress hasn't happened. I've made myself very clear and will not be discussing this further."

He did a few more checks on a paper and moved to the next one. His eyes never leaving the papers he just moved his hand to gesture to Sophia to begin. He wasn't discussing this anymore. "You will leave when I say leave and if you do not try then you will be here longer." End of story, he wasn't wasting his breath any longer. No school would tolerate this and the fact that other professors here had let this child believe he had this kind of power, well Julien started to wonder if not taking the head position at his old private school was the best decision he had made. Students there would never question a professor like this.

She had stopped when she was told to. Sophia didn't want to go back to that dark room where she wasn't allowed to speak to anyone. So she stayed quiet until the she was given the command.

Looking at the boy she gave a sweet smile, "I'd just do what he says."


Hands to her ears again in a habit she formed from watching others that tried to hide from the sound;


"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"

It seemed they had found themselves at an impasse with neither willing to change their mind and a portrait all too eager to make her atrocious noises.

Blaise flinched at the sudden assault on his ears but gave no other reaction. There was no point, the Professor had made it very clear that he was done discussing the issue. At this point his words would prove futile, not to mention hardly audible when compared to the iron lungs on the portrait.

With the man's gaze otherwise engaged, the boy turned to the screaming girl once more.

She didn't have real lungs and she didn't have any real need of air. By all indications, she could go on screaming until morning and it wouldn't affect her in the slightest. He on the other hand was quite certain that if he continued listening long enough he would suffer from noise induced hearing loss or at the very least a headache so severe he'd be confined to the Hospital Wing.

Good. In there, the Healer would never push him to over exert. She would insist he got plenty of rest and let the Professor know he was in no shape to do anything.

His mind made up and his resolve now steeled, the boy took several steps closer to the girl. He did his best to ignore the throbbing in his ears. She could scream louder, he was sure.

He still wasn't doing the charms. Oh boy was this boy going to be in trouble. Sophia didn't take a breath she didn't need to. All she had to do was keep screaming, but why was he walking towards her? Did he think the professor would stop the detention if he stayed close enough to damage his ears?


That wasn't her concern though she was here for one job and one job only.


"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Julien was watching, he was working on his papers and had a nice comfy charm on his ears against the sound, but he was watching. He couldn't help but feel the disappointment as the boy continued to not even attempt to pull out his wand. He could even do a silence charm on the portrait. Julien would take pretty much any practice, but Blaise was stubborn it seemed.


He frowned and pulled out the next paper to mark. He couldn't help but evaluate himself and his success as a Professor with the way these students have been the last term. He wasn't getting to them anymore even though he felt he tried, but he wasn't going to back down with this one. He would be here all night if he didn't at least try.

And so it continued. The screaming wasn't letting up and neither were his steps until he'd come within inches of the screaming girl.

She seemed awful proud of her talent (as the Professor had called it). A part of him wondered what she'd do if he cast an aguamenti then erased or smudged her mouth but the boy refrained for the simple reason that he would not be casting any spells tonight.

A ringing developed in his ears, the uncomfortable sort that usually forced one remove oneself from the discomfort but the stubbornness of a Gryffindor was etched into him and he would not allow himself to be swayed.

This was all on principle, the way he saw it. If he couldn't keep his word now, under a little screaming, then what good was it? Before long, Professors would start to get the idea that if they took him to the dungeons and made it loud enough, he'd do magic. They'd think that enough duress would send his wand into action. They'd think it was suddenly okay to require he cast magic then the trend would never end. He'd be forced to sit through Charms and Professor Ichihara might change her mind about him being able to attend Transfig without participating. There was simply too much at stake to bow out.

Good thing Julien brought plenty of things to grade, because it seemed like this would be an all nighter. Julien was not giving in and it seemed neither was Blaise so they would just be here. It was alright though, because he had nothing else to do. So he went back to the grading and was easily in a room with a screaming portrait without his ears hurting.


That was until a silvery huge dog showed up in the room and told him an urgent message. Getting up he motioned for Sophia to quit and he looked at Blaise. "I will be right back Sophia is watching and will tell me if you finally practice. It seems you haven't even pull your wand out so one can be given to you." He set down an extra wand on the table and headed for the door.

"I expect some practicing once I get back." With that he stepped out of the room and locked the door behind him.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH



She did notice when the professor had her stop. She quieted and listened her eyes growing brighter. She was in charge, this was going to be fun. No one ever gave her in charge things.


Looking at the boy as the professor left she waited before screaming. "Go on, take a wand and start. I don't get to see magic that often being locked in storage. Please do something for me to see."

Blaise thought he'd be staring at the portrait for at least a few more hours but then there was a patronus that drew his attention. The boy turned to the silvery blue figure but hell if he could hear anything over the screaming.

Seconds later, nothing. The room had fallen eerily silent without Sophia's screams but even then, there was a harsh ringing noise resonating through his ears. Blaise had thought the end of it had come when the girl ceased but the ringing proved more painful in the new silence that had fallen among them.

The boy blinked at the Professor a few times, not sure what to make of it all. The man was speaking but it was quite....muffled. Why was he whispering? Leaving...something something....Sophia...something something...wand and then the man was gone. Blaise turned to the portrait again, not entirely sure what had just happened. Like the Professor, her lips were also moving but again the words were nothing louder than a murmur for the boy.

Why had the Professor left his wand? Why was she asking him to show her magic? Had the Professor really gone? Blaise rubbed at his ears, willing the ringing to end but it only caused them to hurt something fierce and that only added to the headache. Not really sure what to do, the boy walked to the door. A single tug proved his thoughts; locked. He looked to Sophia once more before drawing his wand. "Alohomora." His own words barely audible to him. Suffice to say he didn't hear the clicking of the lock when it opened but testing the lock yielded great results for the boy who now found himself staring out into the corridor. Yet another glance was spared at the girl before he simply stepped out.

Blaise couldn't have been gone more than a minute, two at most, when he returned with a floating quill and notepad trailing behind him. Back inside, he shut the door behind him then drew his wand again. "Colloportus." The boy nodded toward Sophia, flinching as the movement sent a jolt of discomfort through his head, but the nod served its purpose and the quill was now poised to record whatever she had to say. If he could hardly hear her, the next best thing was reading because she seemed to have a lot to say and no doubt so would the Professor when he finally got back from...wherever.

The boy was looking at her funny, why was he looking at her like that. Did he not think she could be in charge? Well Sophia would show him. She might be only twelve but she had been in this castle for over twenty years. She'd give him the biggest scream she could....

WHY WAS HE WALKING AWAY???

"No.. what are you?" He used magic and Sophia bounced and clapped. YAY, see he did know that charm, but HE WAS LEAVING!! No, no this wasn't good. She was loosing a student. "HELP!! RUN AWAY KID!!"

He had come back in though and Sophia took a deep breath. "You aren't suppose to have that in here. You are suppose to be just doing your charms. Professor put me in charge and I can't fail or they will lock me up again. Please can you do the charms and show me." Her eyes went sad and pleading for him to just do what he was told so she wouldn't be locked into the storage room again.

He hadn't heard her shouts of a runaway student--though that might have explained the weird looks that staffer had been giving him when he went back out front to get his things. Similarly, he wasn't entirely sure what she was saying now.

At best, the boy was catching a word or two coming from Sophia's painted lips and they weren't making much sense to him if he was being totally honest. For that reason, the boy walked over to his notepad, glancing over at it while she went on.

By now he was fluent in quick quotes quill and knew not to take anything at face value. It was always a standard rule to read for overall meaning rather than word for word. Based on this...rather...colourful re-telling, he wasn't meant to have his quill in here. He knew that. Thank you Sophia for the recap. Having read the last of her words, the boy looked over at her again. That was when he saw it, the way her eyes pleaded with him. "Their not my charms. I don't own them and I don't need to do them. If you don't want to be locked in a room, go find someone else's frame to sit in. There are nice paintings that will be happy to have you." He was well aware of the portraits' habits of simply hopping from frame to frame.