Chapter 156 - Detention with Professor Adric (1/2)
After dinner, Rowan as usual went to serve detention with Professor Slughorn. She found it to be quite relaxing to do manual labor when her thoughts were a mess. A most useful time to sort one's thoughts.
Knocking on Professor's Slughorn's office door, Rowan waits to be let in. ”Is that you, Prince?” Professor Slughorn asked as the sound of his getting up from his desk can be heard inside.
”Yes, Professor,” Rowan replied with a bit of a frown.
”Good, good,” Professor Slughorn was heard muttering from inside. Pulling the door wide open from behind him his desk can be seen his vast collection of photographs with members of the slug club. On his desk is a canter of crystalized pineapple with a small velvet pouffe peeking out from the edge of his desk.
”You'll be serving the rest of the remainder with Professor Adric as he so kindly volunteered. Miss Prince, you best be going now, I'll let Professor Adric know that you are coming.”
”Yes, sir,” Rowan unhappily said, before turning back around and heading back upstairs.
After some time, Rowan finally arrived at the second-floor corridor located near the staircase that leads to the first-floor corridor. Knocking just once, a cold voice can be heard from inside saying, ”Come in, Miss Prince, don't dawdle now.”
Carefully opening the door, Rowan steps inside to see a rather stark office. Despite there being neatly arranged books and artifacts on the shelves and furniture there wasn't much life to the room. Nothing of interest called out nor there was a speck of color beyond the emerald and silver tapestry that hung behind the professor's desk.
Coming to a halt, before Professor Adric, Rowan says, ”Professor, what will you have me do?”
”Research,” Professor Adric flatly said as he glanced up from his work to stare down his slightly olive nose at her. His dark gaze was just as piercing as ever as he leaned his lean form back into his seat.
”Ah, I see,” Rowan said as she glanced about for another desk or writing table to sit at.
Seeing her glance, Professor Adric says, ”You may sit in front of me and work, Miss Prince. I won't have you being distracted while my back is turned.”
”Yes, sir,” Rowan muttered as she took a seat before him and waited to be instructed.
Grabbing a book from the neatly ordered pile before him, Professor Adric says, ”Start from page 100, that is where I last left off.”
”Thank you, sir,” Rowan said as she took the book and found a pot of ink and quill along with a roll of parchment placed before her.
”I expect careful and detailed notes, Miss Prince,” Professor Adric coldly further instructed. ”And legible too.”
Rowan nodded her head as she glanced at the title, The Life and Lies of Salazar Slytherin. Glancing back up at the already engrossed man, Rowan asks, ”I don't mean to be rude, professor, but just what am I supposed to be searching for?”
”Anything of interest,” Professor Adric sternly said causing Rowan to internally sigh and begin to read and jot down anything that could be considered interesting.
For some time, the only sound that can be heard is the scribbling of quills on parchment and that of pages being turned. The clock on the mantelpiece steadily ticked by as the hands slowly seemed to move. After what seemed like hours, Professor Adric says, ”Did you not find the fleeing spiders quite the interesting spectacle, Prince?”
Pausing Rowan glanced up to say, ”Professor, that would certainly be quite the sight to see.”
”And do you know why?” Professor Adric leaned forward as his piercing eyes seemed to be trying to read her very soul.
”No, sir,” Rowan lied with a straight face.