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**Julian Scrimgeour** · #1 (**permalink**) 09-29-2018, 06:21 AM

Was hosting a detention the way Scrimgeour wanted to be spending his Saturday night? No, he most certainly did not. But did he feel compelled to do so to prove to the Head Girl that the rules were to be followed and that she was not above them or his authority? Absolutely. Her tardiness to his lesson was unacceptable and, with her being a student leader in the school, failed to lead by example.

Fifteen minutes before the detention was to begin, the man had left his office on the first floor and walked down to the Entrance Hall. He made his way down the marble staircase and turned on his heels when he was standing in the middle of the high-ceilinged room. Arms crossed and his face looking grimmer than ever, he looked toward the staircase and took in the sight of the stained glass windows that featured the four Hogwarts Founders.

He didn't think much of the depictions. The headmaster was simply waiting in silence, waiting to see how long it took Cambridge to arrive.

DaniDiNardo · 09-29-2018, 07:51 AM

She could assure him that there were at least a handful of other things she preferred to do with her Saturday as well. Didn’t think she’d have much in common with the man, and yet...here they were.

Jessa had been relieved to find out the detention would be in the entrance hall for the fact it was wide open with several exits instead of the cramped dungeons with one door per cell. That criteria met, she didn’t really care what the man threw at her. There was no further need to panic. Inside also told her it wasn’t likely to be some sort of physical activity—which worked equally well for her. Under these circumstances, the Ravenclaw almost felt....ready for her detention. It was a first for her, something new. Terrifying but oddly......exciting.....

Funny how that worked.

At ten minutes to the hour, Jessa showed up, only marginally surprised to find the man already standing there. The plan was to be early then have him show up and see how seriously she was taking it. So much for that. “Good evening, Headmaster.” She greeted, immediately reaching into her holster for her wand and extending it to him. The Head Girl had done about as much research on these “detention” things as she could. Handing over the wand was standard. Polite greeting, also standard. Performing a mundane task, not yet presented to her but she expected it as well because standard.

Yes, she had spent the better part of her day trying to psych herself up for this. All she had to do was keep telling herself everything was fine and it would be over before she knew it. Just....er.....what WOULD she be doing? Nothing in the immediate area gave anything away and she was nothing if not curious beyond her own horror at the situation.

**Julian Scrimgeour** · 09-29-2018, 09:13 AM

When Cambridge arrived ten minutes early, the man grunted. He was appreciative of that, but for the live of him couldn't figure out why being on time yesterday had been an issue. He pushed those thoughts aside, mostly because he didn't care. All he cared about was giving the girl her consequence so she would never be late to class again.

He grunted again after she greeted him. The head of the school had half a mind to tell her off for speaking first, but he was certain she would argue that they weren't in class. So Scrimgeour opted to not say anything, uncrossed his arms, and took her wand and pocketed it for the time being.

And he stood there, doing nothing but stare in silence, for ten whole minutes. Just because the Head Girl arrived early didn't mean that he was going to start their scheduled time together early.

Once the clock tower chimed in the distance that it was 8 o'clock, the man finally spoke. "Alright, Cambridge. Tell me why you are serving detention tonight." He wanted a thorough but short answer before he revealed what she would be doing for the next hour.

DaniDiNardo · 09-29-2018, 01:09 PM

This was......awkward.

Had she known that despite her early arrival the man would’ve been earlier still, Jessa would have opted to show up a minute before the allotted time. Why? So she wouldn’t have to end up standing here awkwardly next to him waiting for time to tick by at an agonisingly slow pace. That was a recipe for fidgeting and fidgeting she did. The Head Girl rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet, while her hands went about tying and untying then retying her tie—because in her mind there was now something wrong with it that would offend the man.

When he finally spoke, she was (again) prepared. She’d heard about this part too and spent some time practising in the mirror to make sure she got it right. The question wasn’t a question at all, but she was ready.

“I’m serving detention because I was late to class and as Head Girl it sets a bad example for everyone I’m set to lead. It was irresponsible of me and an action not to be tolerated as no excuse can pardon my tardiness.”

She could’ve rambled, for sure, but got the distinct feeling the man wasn’t the sort to appreciate that sort of thing and she was of the belief that the less she said was the less things he had to pick through and find fault with. It was a general belief when interacting with others.

**Julian Scrimgeour** · 09-30-2018, 10:25 PM

Was the silence and being stared at awkward for her? Scrimgeour noticed the Head Girl's fidgeting and rocking. If this was awkward, then that was exactly what he was going for. The man continued to say nothing, waiting for the changing of the hour.

He listened to her words very carefully, listing for any inaccuracy or even the slightest hint of a defiant tone. But her words were spot on; she was late, she was setting a bad example, she had been irresponsible. All this was said without any indication of sass, and, even better, it was a straight-to-the-point answer he desired.

Another grunt sounded. They could move on.

"I'm impressed that you understand that your actions were wrong and, being the head student of the school, are to set an example for the rest of your peers," the headmaster said to her. "Now, to make sure that sticks and that no future issues come from you, we will get started with your punishment."

His eyes then looked passed Cambridge to the marble stairs. A metallic finger pointed at them.

"Run up to the top of the stairs and back down again." He wasn't going to tell her twice.

DaniDiNardo · 09-30-2018, 11:55 PM

Jessa could’ve told him all about how self aware she was and how easy it had been to identify the cause of the detention with a mind that was constantly analyzing things in overdrive but didn’t for the simple fact she knew he wouldn’t care. This wasn’t class but speak when spoken to probably still applied. He asked a question, she answered, anything after that was unnecessary chatter that would surely aggravate the man.

In the end she went for a polite nod. Yes, she was aware of her faults.

The Head Girl spared a glance about, wondering if the cleaning supplies were currently being hidden. In her mind it would be a cleaning detention. She could start on the stairs....the pillars would need cleaning too.....Oh the doors! If he had a ladder she would clean to the very to—

”...........what........?” Not said defiantly, the 7th year was simply....very confused. Jessa looked first to the man, then over to the stairs he’d pointed to before returning questioning blue eyes to meet his. The way her brows knot themselves was indication enough of just how thrown she was by the man’s statement.

Again, Jessa turned to look at the stairs, now wondering if he meant just that set or ALL of them. Neither outcome appealed to her. Why was it always some form of exercise with this man?????????

“Where.....where’s the bucket.....and the rags.......and the mop.......?” The question was directed more to herself than the man despite its audible nature. He....wanted her to do what now?

Not even “go” to the top and back, he said run. Running....wasn’t...really one of those things...she did....

**Julian Scrimgeour** · 10-01-2018, 01:11 AM

Upon giving the simple command, Scrimgeour expected Cambridge to start making her way up the stairs. But she didn't. His brow furrowed when she started questioning him. He was going to make her pay for that, but not in the form of point loss.

For a Ravenclaw, she certainly was proving to be not all that bright. What a pity. She had been off to a great start.

"You won't be needing any of that," he said flatly. Cambridge was no House-Elf or that hag of a Caretaker. He wasn't going to let her do their work for them. No, she was going to run up and down those stairs right in front of him. That is, unless she would rather to go outside in the cold and run around the snowy Quidditch pitch all night?

The metal finger was still pointing at the stairs. "Run. Up to the landing and back down. I suggest you start moving."

His mental stopwatch was already counting. One ... two ... three ... four ...

DaniDiNardo · 10-01-2018, 01:49 AM

It took everything in her not to openly gape at the man when he repeated his instructions.

This...she didn’t read about this and from what she’d asked around....running up and down the stairs hadn’t actually come up. The Ravenclaw was quite taken aback. It was a part of the detention that she had no time to prep for ~~and appropriately freak out about~~.

Apart of her wanted desperately to offer to conjure cleaning equipment ANYWAY and to be quite honest Jessa was prepared to clean the entire castle if given enough time but she’d already made the man repeat himself and didn’t feel the need to lump even more coals unto her own head.

Jessa swallowed hard, looking to the stairs again. She wasn’t dull enough to assume that refusing would force the man to set a new task, nor was she bold enough to attempt such a thing. Which.....meant running. Just her luck. Resigned to her fate, Jessa did start running but in all honesty it was more like a pathetic jog from the severely unfit 17 year old. There were several reasons she always walked her laps in the mornings. At the stairs, she took them at a half run, going just fast enough for it to not be considered walking—but in her mind she’d been going at a good speed. At the top of the landing, she spun and started back down with gravity doing most of the work this time.

There. Up and down and hardly winded. That wasn’t so bad.

**Julian Scrimgeour** · 10-01-2018, 02:08 AM

As Cambridge made her way up the stairs, the mental stopwatch was still ticking away. His pointed finger had retracted, his arms now crossed once more. He finally blinked an eye and watched as the Head Girl made it easily down the marble staircase. That wasn't so hard now, was it?

Her timing, though, was not desirable.

"I am starting to see why you were late to my lesson. Besides not keeping track of time, you take far too long to get from Point A to Point B," Scrimgeour grunted, his body remaining rather stiff. Was he surprised by this, however? No. He knew Cambridge opted to her S.O.R.E., which was part of the problem.

There was a brief pause before he spoke. "Again. Faster this time." If she went at the speed she had been going on her first round, then they were going to be in the hall for a long, long time. She had many, many more steps to make.

One ... two ... three ... four ...

DaniDiNardo · 10-01-2018, 02:28 AM

....Well she could’ve told him that if he just asked. Jessa wasn’t under any illusions about her capabilities. She wasn’t fast and knew she wasn’t fast. Clumsy, uncoordinated and not fast. It’s why she spent the better part of her life walking. Of course this sentiment she kept to herself as it’d been a statement and not an opening for discussion.

This time though, as the man spoke, she DID end up gaping slightly while her eyes travelled back to the stairs.

Again? Hadn’t the one time been enough? She felt it’d been plenty and the thought of a second round had her internally groaning. Could she just swear she’d learned her lesson? Because she had. Late and she’d get stairs. Got it. Never gonna be late again. Honest. This...this wasn’t necessary. As it so happened, it also wasn’t optinional. Terrible combination that was.

With something of a soft huff, Jessa turned to the stairs again. She didn’t know how she was gonna get it done much faster than before but Merlin did she try. This time, she got up the stairs noticeably faster....at first....for maybe the first five or six steps before her speed began its woeful decline. By the time she got to the top again, she could feel her chest heaving at the sudden burst. Not wanting to waste more time, the 7th year all but propelled herself back down the stairs, again letting gravity do most of the work before skidding to a stop before the man.

That...that was faster, yeah? Because she didn’t think she had a third one in her.

**Julian Scrimgeour** · 10-01-2018, 05:01 AM

No, one time was not enough. It would never be enough. Surprisingly, with the minds of children, it took multiple times for things to finally sink in and actually do some good. It was why they ran their laps every morning, it was why the school rules were blared on the hour every hour, it was why detentions were so labourious.

The man mentally counted, making observations while he did so. He noticed that the Head Girl had made a good start, only to decline after a few stairs, and then made her way down the stairs again. There was improvement. Slight improvement.

Scrimgeour eyed the girl, buying her a few moments to catch her breath. It appeared that he was thinking about something, perhaps that she didn't need to do this anymore. But that certainly wasn't on his mind, which his words soon revealed.

"Again."

This time, though, she might feel a little ... pressure weighing down on her.

DaniDiNardo · 10-01-2018, 05:20 AM

Again?

Surely even if once wasn’t enough, twice was. Jessa was a fast learner, she wouldn’t soon forget that tardiness got her stairs. A third time, in her mind was overkill. Come to think of it, a particularly fierce glare would’ve been all that was needed to ensure the Ravenclaw was never late again. Physical activity was essentially beating a dead horse. The man was preaching to the choir. She was already very much converted.

Trouble was one thing the girl tried avoiding whenever possible. Anything that made her stand out or more a target. She’d never be late again....and yet....a third go was needed.

Was it too soon to already begin feeling tired because her muscles were starting to say no.

Jessa nodded reluctantly before turning to the stairs again. Her burst of speed lasted for about the same 5 stairs before she felt it. That pressure pushing down on her that caused her to stop half way up the stairs.

What...in Merlin’s beard.....was that? Jessa stopped all movement entirely, waiting to see if the weight would lift. She took a step back then one forward, her mind growing rather side tracked in the wake of this revelation. The weight returned with each move she made but seemed to lessen (perhaps only in her mind) when she stopped. Jessa took a tentative step up...then two back down, trying to gauge the level of pressure. Consider her curiosity peaked. The Ravenclaw repeated the action, forgetting momentarily that she was meant to be running. She felt at the air above her head before lifting each foot individually.

Interesting. The pressure was by no means unbearable, just...rather curious and it left her distracted to say the least.

**Julian Scrimgeour** · 10-02-2018, 04:34 AM

Again, yes. If the lesson learned in all of this hadn't been ingrained in the mind of the Head Girl, it certainly would be after this detention was over with.

Scrimgeour watched Cambridge go up the stairs, only to be disappointed that she didn't get very far before she stopped. Was she ... experimenting with the sudden feeling of weight? Oh no, that would not do at all. But she would learn soon enough that each lap up the stairs and back down would get progressively more and more difficult, the weight getting heavier and heavier.

He was still timing her. She was not doing very well this time. What a pity.

"Let's get moving, Cambridge. You were instructed to run. You have a time limit."

That would cost her an additional trek up and down the staircase.

DaniDiNardo · 10-02-2018, 09:47 AM

Oh? Equally curious. Jessa paused her impromptu experiment to turn her gaze back to the Headmaster. Timed? How much time did she have? Did it operate on a scaling sort of system where if she couldn’t go any faster than a certain time then no more than a certain time would be expected? How long ago had the timer started? Was it in his head or was their a stop watch he looked to occasionally? What happened if she didn’t meet the required time? If it was all preset then how many laps had he actually intended her to run?

Her mind was positively buzzing with unanswered questions, none she dared voice but it was all there in those deep, curious eyes that remained locked on the man.

It wasn’t until a few seconds later that his words actually registered to her in the appropriate way at which point she turned and began up the stairs again.

With the new weight added, she didn’t go nearly as fast but as she was aware she was being timed, she HAD tried. The descent was made just a little easier with whatever magic had been added and soon she was standing by the man again.

This time, she didn’t wait. “Again?” It was a growing trend.

**Julian Scrimgeour** · 10-06-2018, 05:39 PM

The pausing was something that wasn't desired at all. The old man couldn't help but wonder what that was all about. He was thinking of all the possibilities. She was either trying to cheat the system, was doing this on purpose to aggravate him, or feigning some sort of injury or physical incapability. Either way, neither was acceptable and wouldn't be the cause of the detention to end any time soon.

Cambridge then started moving, and Scrimgeour was still internally counting. The pausing had impacted her time quite a bit, as he was sure the increasing pressure had too. At least she had an easier time going down the stairs ... for now.

"Again," he confirmed. "Faster this time."

If she could. The man was curious to see how the Head Girl would respond to the gradually increasing pressure going up, only to have it escalate drastically without warning after she started making her way back down.

DaniDiNardo · 10-08-2018, 03:39 AM

The man wouldn’t have to wonder for much longer. Knowing it best not to protest, Jessa did start up the stairs again but when the pressure set in, the girl once again slowed noticeably. It was a natural response to the increasing pressure. As it so happened, Jessa Cambridge, outside her pursuit of knowledge, was not a very driven individual. Her first response to most situations that involved pressure was to give up.

Fighter she was not.

It was a wonder she got to the top at all, but the way back down was worse. With the sudden, drastic increase of pressure, the Head Girl slowed her pace to a walk, clinging to the side rail to get rid of the feeling she was suddenly in danger of falling face down the remaining steps.

That was how she got back down. One foot then the next. Carefully. The concentration was there, set into her gaze that locked on the floor and her feet. She forgot all about the time limit, now her only concern was somehow not crumbling under the pressure as she was inclined to do. Make no mistake, her first instinct here was to sit and wait for the pressure to subside on its own, the only thing that kept her going was the common sense that that wasn’t how Scrimgeour worked.

Back at the bottom, she didn’t dare look up at the man this time. Even she knew that last go was no good. So....about those cleaning products. She’s still be willing.

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