Detention Monsters, Stars, and Hunters pv Fin

It had been a few days since the Masquerade, a few days since her plan to expel Kaegen failed along with the complementary promise of a detention that followed. Aurelia had been quite upset to know she would have to miss the following events of the ball until she heard about the catastrophe that happen during her absence. Professor Equinox was to thank for banishing the Gryffindor from the ballroom in the first place, otherwise, she might have suffered burns like the unfortunate students in the ball.

Aurelia trotted up the stairwell of the astronomy tower. She had recently received owls from her Grandmother, Astrehilde Bezuidenhout, also her senior at Monster Hunting who never failed to check on Aurelia’s progress. In one of the owls, Aurelia informed Astrehilde about her impending detention to which Astrehilde warned to be careful around the adult dhamphir, professor or not. On the contrary, the owl also stated to use the opportunity, the detention, to obtain as much information as she could about dhampirs. To interrogate a professor, it wasn’t much different to interrogating a student -she hoped- which was one of her expertises formerly as a writer for the papers.

When she was first attack by a dhampir, about month ago, she had barely lived through the traumatising experience. Moreover, if that dhampir was an adolescent and she had almost died, who knew what an adult dhampir would be capable of if something happen to trigger his instincts. Aurelia made sure to come prepared, strapped to her thigh under her skirt was a small wooden dagger with a blade of 5 inches and nestled in the pocket of her coat was small perfume bottle filled to the brim with garlic juice. Of course, Aurelia didn’t plan to use them unless she needed to. One can never be too careful, as her Grandmother would say.

Finally, Aurelia reached the top of the stairs where she found the Professor already waiting. The wary thirteen year old made her way to the center of the classroom but would not close the gap any further once she was about good ten feet away from Professor Equinox. As the professor greeted her, Aurelia returned his smile with a pretentious one of her own. “If I may ask, what will today’s detention entail?” The Gryffindor asked, hoping that it would be given a relatively easy task which would allow her to get the detention over with as soon as possible. Not only that, she expected that in this particular detention session, she would be allowed questions.

Alaric noted the nature of her smile he knew she would not be happy to be here and quite frankly neither, was he. He did not enjoy this in any way, shape, or form. “Dusting the shelving in my office area. Follow me” He would turn his back to her and walk up the stairs first as a sign of faith. He knew the student wouldn’t attack him, that would be very stupid of her as he could easily out power and out spell her. Although the man was lithe, he was very strong, and most people underestimated him because he hid his strengths well.

“You will not be allowed to use your wand for the dusting, but you will be allowed to keep it on you. I am not ignorant of the apprehension you must feel around me.” When they reached the top of the stairs assuming she followed him he would motion to the sets of shelves that had some astronomy equipment on them. “You will need to wipe down the shelf and dust the Equipment on them. Everything you need will be right there and I will be right here if you have any questions.” He motioned at his desk which faced the shelves that she would be dusting. Next to his desk, she would see standing on an open Perch was a great white owl watching her curiously with her golden eyes.

After moving to take a seat at his desk “If I may Miss Notrésvace I would, however, Like to know why it was that you baited Mr. Deathmote. I know there must be a story in there somewhere to justify your actions” He wondered silently if he would be able to break through to this young girl before it was too late. He hoped she had not been prejudice against all nonhumans because truly not all of them were bad.



 

At the professor’s lead, Aurelia would follow up the stairs, at the same time, keeping her distance. As expected, she was not to use magic for her task. Aurelia could not help but feel relieved that she was allowed to keep her wand. With a quick flick and a mutter of two words (crinus muto) the hair on her scalp weaved into a braid and away from her face. Time to get to work.

Perhaps it was the fact that Aurelia wasn’t too pleased about the detention or maybe it was due to sheer concern for her own safety, regardless, a rather impudent question, at least for a dhampir, slipped from her lips barely inaudibly, “And if I happened to cut myself on those sharp trinkets?”

From her experiences, Aurelia was aware that different dhampirs were affected by blood differently but she could not guarantee her own safety if she were to bleed. “Nevermind... I’ll be careful,” the girl sighed before retrieving a feather duster and began dusting.

The massive white owl was hard not to notice. It was slightly bigger than her great horned owl, Aspen. Aurelia gave it a little rub under its chin. Aurelia did not hesitate to take a bloodpop in the bowl on the desk before unwrapping it and popping it into her mouth. An iron-like taste, filled her tastebuds, it wasn’t bad nor was it exceptional. It just tasted like blood. Yes, Aurelia was human, but she couldn’t help but wonder why dhampires found a liking in blood. Surely part of it was due to their nature, but perhaps if Aurelia took bloodpops, she could get more of a relatable answer.

It wasn’t too long before Professor Equinox broke the silence as she was dusting the shelf. Kaegen Deathmote. The mention of the name caused he corner of her lips to twist into a deep scowl. Aurelia could never forget what the Monster done last semester and the bloody scene he left in the abandoned bathrooms. There was no point hiding the truth at this moment. So she began while sucking on the partially consumed bloodpop, “ I was trying to get Kaegen expelled, something that should have been done long ago. Its unacceptable that the school continue to let a menace like him amongst innocent students. Things would have gone smoothly if he were just to attack me in the ball. The school’s population would be safer in his absence. ”

Alaric looked down at the papers on his desk and started reading over some of the words. “I assure you Miss Notrésvace I have more control than the children. Or, perhaps, have you forgotten that I did not eat you in the ballroom when you cut yourself there?” If she wanted to act sassy, he hoped that she could take it as much as she could dish it because being snarky was something he was accustomed to being. “I hope you understand that I will show you as much respect as you show me. I am not like the other professors and if you wish to act like a petulant child, I will treat you like one.”

He looked back up and listened to her explanation patiently about why she acted the way that she did. “Fair enough. What would you say if he could be rehabilitated? You do realize the boy is not a lost cause. None of us asked for this curse and quite a few of us need help to learn how to deal with it. I understand that he has done some grave things, but it is only because he has not had proper guidance in learning how to control himself. Quite frankly I am developing a system in this school that will make it impossible for anyone to be able to bait a dhampir into a blood rage ever again. So perhaps, I owe you some thanks for that.” He smirked at her before looking back down at the papers in front of him. 

Aurelia made sure to be extra careful while dusting the equipment. The last thing she needed was for some fragile knickknack to break and further upset the already displeased professor. His next words were ones that bothered her so much so that Aurelia couldn’t refrain from a rebut, “I believe you had more control than most dhampirs, but unsheathing your fangs not to mention your... that eerie presence creature like you possess, wasn’t necessary was it? Any professor would have disperse the situation without making a poor boy cry. But like you said, you aren’t like other professors.” The pureblood had never spoken so bluntly towards a professor and her words might have as well guaranteed another detention.

Aurelia was not like other students either. Her head was full of knowledge on creatures that weren’t just dhampirs but werewolves, giants and even metamorphoses. But what she was truly getting at was to get rid of the Monsters among them. “ I suppose he didn’t tell you. What would you, a professor, do if a student were to go about blowing up school property, stabbing four innocents and leaving a prefect to bleed to death? That dhampir did just that and I refuse to believe that his nature was the cause of his rampage.” Aurelia stated as she continued dusting, coughing as a significant amount of dust was swept up into the air. Karma at it’s work, probably. “I have nothing much against your kind. Just Kaegen. Try as you might, nothing is ever going to change the fact that he almost killed me and isn’t even the slightest bit apologetic.”

The girl’s disposition seemed to have flip at the professor’s mention on the system. Not only that, there was a pique in her curiosity when he brought up rehabilitation. Before she knew it, she found herself right in front of the professor, across his desk. “Rehabilitation? Correct me if I’m wrong, you are referring to a dhampir’s impacted soul due to the consumption of unwilling blood?” Her brows furrowed slightly as the skepticism mingled with disbelief and crossed her expression. She had her blood taken unwilling during the attack in the owlery and her assailant would definitely need some rehabilitation if that were the case. It was rather surprising that someone her age would possess such extensive knowledge on dhampirs.

So the girl studies Dhampirs no doubt, but it would see she didn’t know any of the actual facts behind the mechanics of how they act or why they do what they do. Then again, he wasn’t surprised she was after all a little girl. She was an arrogant little girl who thought she knew more about the world than she really did, which made sense because what child at her age didn’t think that?

“To address your first statement Dhampirs can’t always control when their fangs come out. Not even adults, it’s the control over ourselves and whether or not we use them that is the real test. Perhaps, the aura was a tad too much, but at the same time, it is protective instinct. My goal was to get everyone away from Kaegen. No one suffered any lasting effects and no damage was done. Goal accomplished.”

He thought momentarily about what she said before carefully answering and it was one, he knew she wouldn’t like. “Well considering that is not the full story how can I truly judge? How am I supposed to know that you or anyone else there didn’t threaten him? A dhampir who has been through what he has and not having been trained properly could have been under the full impression that you were there to harm him and that he was acting under self-defense. Perhaps, that is why he is not apologetic about it. If it were some random student who for absolutely no explainable reason did that, they would have gone to trial for it more than likely.” He knew the last part was the answer the girl wanted, but as blinded as most children were, she failed to ascertain the whole situation.

“When it comes to that there is no definite proof as to whether or not that is actually what happens when we consume unwilling blood. It would seem to be the case but then you will also have people who think that dhampirs have no soul at all. However, it has also never been proven that a dhampir cannot come back from drinking blood from an unwilling victim. These are things that I wish to explore and work out. Though what I was referring to was a program that would make it impossible for someone to bait a dhampir into an immediate blood rage, and that would be by having them drink blood administered in the infirmary from willing donors at least once a day. To waylay a question before it is asked, no it does not directly come from people. It is the same way I get my blood, in a bag donated willingly.”

He found that he didn’t mind answering her questions so long as she could keep herself civil. She stated that she only had an ill will for Kaegen and yet the way she spoke when she spoke about his species gave him the feeling that she was far more prejudice than maybe she even realized. “I attacked a student once when I went here as a child. I was baited in much the same manner you baited Kaegen in the ballroom. The only difference would have been that I didn’t do anything to the boys who attacked me besides breathe. They wanted to do the same thing to me that you wish to do to Kaegen and I understand that you have very legitimate reasons, I would like to ask that you allow me to try before we write him off as a lost cause.” 

Growing up, Aurelia was taught to distinguish the right from wrong and at least for her, it was common sense not to initiate an attack without a plausible reason. But now that the professor explained it all, her thoughts diverted back to the very bloody episode and trying to comprehend the cause of Kaegen’s frenzy. The former prefect had said she would deal with him as her job entailed which must have been what urged him to cast the spell at her. Even then, the ignorant professors should have done something about it. When would they realise that someone that psychotic would pose to much of a danger dhampir or not?

Aurelia had heard about blood donation which was the act of storing one’s blood in transparent little bags. Blood donation was mostly practice by the muggles who unlike wizardfolk, did not have the magical means for their healthcare. Aurelia would be lying to say that it was a bad idea. Subconsciously, her right thumb came to rub her left wrist, the area where two pale marks, a shade lighter than her already fair skin set. For the past month in Hogwarts, Aurelia had allowed more than one dhampir to drink from her wrist and to say the least, the pain caused by a pair of three inch fangs piercing into flesh was almost unbearable. Blood donation would meant that she would not have to have her wrist bitten.

Aurelia hadn’t expected the professor to tell her about his past. She’d empathised with him if not for the fact that he brought Kaegen up once again. The difference he spoke about was a big one. Kaegen had put the life of other’s at risk and didn’t deserve anything but to be expelled. As obstinate as she was, her hatred towards the boy remained absolute. Aurelia added sarcastically, “If you could get him to understand the nefariousness of stabbing other students while you are at it, that would be great.”

She then proceeded back to dusting where she left off. It was the last shelf she had before she could get the hell out of the tower and away from the professor. “Or perhaps you could direct your focus on fellow dhampirs in need of help more than Kaegen ever deserves with this system you have in mind,” Like Howie and Nico, she wanted to add but since she was evidently playing the role of a brat, she choose not to. It was obvious that the stubborn girl still held that unwavering grudge against Kaegen. However, as the girl of average height tip toed to reach up and dust a relatively high shelf, her braid shifted from her shoulders, exposing the scar underneath the brown locks of hair. On her neck were two pale but prominent marks, similar to the one on her left wrist that was undeniably cause by a pair of fangs.

He chuckled lightly at her sarcastic comment simply because it was funny. “I assure you I will put my best foot forward in the matter.” She had been working quickly and efficiently and he appreciated her for the work that she did. Although he found that he did not particularly enjoy her attitude he would admit that this young girl was very bright and intelligent if not a bit quick to judge other people. She may not have enjoyed his methods for dealing with the situation in the ballroom, but he did not enjoy her method of provoking the boy considering it could have put other people in danger.

Alaric not looking for them and being too far away would not be able to notice the scars on her neck and wrist. “The system will be for every dhampir enrolled within Hogwarts and it will not be optional as soon as I can get everything cleared.” It would be exactly like the werewolves having to take wolfsbane potion every day the week of the full moon only the dhampirs would have to do it every day regardless. “You have done a wonderful job on those shelves miss Notrésvace. You may be done with your detention now.”

He could only hope that she had learned at least a little about looking through someone else’s perspective, but she was young and clearly stubborn. His hope no doubt would be short-lived, but all of his promises were true, and he would do his best. Though he wasn’t doing it for the humans in the school he was doing it for the dhampirs and for their safety. Nico had been standing right next to Kaegen when Aurelia had pricked her finger and if that had set the young girl off then it would have been catastrophic. “I would like you to remember however that the next time you wish to try and bait by making yourself bleed that there could be others in the vicinity that could have harmed you as well. Would getting them expelled truly be worth possibly your life?”

This detention is over and has been served. You may feel free to continue to roleplay in it or you may choose to leave.

 

Aurelia set down the duster as soon as the professor announced that she was officially done. The girl patted her hand together to remove all the dust remains. The system that Professor Equinox proposed seemed feasible and would most likely aid the dhampirs in the school. But the aspiring Monster hunters could still discern a few likely drawbacks that would likely surface. Regardless, she was determined to be involved in someway. It would further prove to hone her knowledge of the peculiars.

Instead of leaving Aurelia dragged a chair across the room to seat on the other side of the Professor’s desk when he proceeded to make the input about her actions in the ballroom. Her life. She had already experienced her first dhamphir attack and it was nothing pleasant. She fortunately didn’t die and Aurelia doubted that a couple of dhampirs would manage to kill her given the fact that they were juveniles and that there were capable professors who shared the premise that would be able to prevent a student from being mauled.

“I suppose I had not considered more than one dhamphir falling into a blood frenzy. Even then, I highly doubt they would have managed to kill me.” The Gryffindor explained. It would however, be an entirely different situation if an adult dhampir capable of spells was affected that evening. But like her Grandmother told her, learning from experience was key.

“About the system,” The brunette began. She was testing the waters, after what she had done, the Professor would most likely have some reluctance to her offer. “How would you ensure that every dhampir in the school goes through this system? Honestly speaking, I doubt most dhampirs would think about revealing their identity given that you are a professor.”

“Perhaps I might be of some help.”