 Rhibear ~ Madam Solo ~ Dark Brooding Girl ~ Accio Jedi ~ Gryffinclaw ~ Just a doll
Well, what do you know? The conventional approach tirned out to be the correct one after all. Tina stepped through the fifth door to the welcome.sight of their familiar classroom, and there was Noble at his desk. Was it safe to assume that she was out of the door maze for good now?
Tina returmed the professor's nod, but she didn't say anything. She was still angry about the use of boils on her classmates, and besides, the professor looked a tad preoccupied with his wand and pieces of parchment. She assumed he must be marking people's answers, and if so,
it probably wasn't a good idea to distract him. The last thing she wanted was for somebody else to get boils (or worse) because he'd mistakenly marked their answer incorrect while talking to her!
She took a seat near the back and noticed the lack of potion ingredients. She wasn't entirely surprised. Getting through the doors took a lot longer than she'd expected, and somewhere along the line, she began to doubt they'd have time to fit brewing a potion in. At first she'd thought they'd be making the burning bitterroot balm as an antidote for the people who'd received boils from the thrid door, but that idea went by the wayside when she saw the boils vanish. Believe it or not, the misdirect about the burning bitterroot balm was the least offensive of Noble's tricks!
Tina blinked confusedly as the professor asked for questions or thoughts. She had plenty of both, but none she dared voice. Was this another trick? Was Noble inviting them to speak so he could punish those who said something he didn't want to hear? Well if it was a trick, Tina wasn't falling for it! Nothing she had to say was worth the risk of points loss or detention, she reminded herself. She sat silently, trying to ignore the questions buzzing in her mind, but eventually her curiosity got the better of her. She raised her hand and asked, "Professor, why did you give us boils for getting the third question wrong?" After she'd spoken, she began to worry that her question might come across as accusatory, so she elaborated. "I mean... why boils specifically? if the purpose was to provide an incentive for getting the right answer, wouldn't something less painful have worked just as well? Or, was there another reason behind it?"
Despite Tina's feelings on the matter, there wasn't a hint of disrespect in her tone; it was an honest question. She wasn't sure when or if she'd forgive Noble for the boils, but she would give him the chance to explain and take what he said into consideration. She already had a hunch what that reason might be. It sounded odd, but what if the boils were meant to be an example of what not to do as far as ethics went?
__________________ Old voices I had thought long since dead whisper of another life I might have led
If I could take that second chance, If I could make my life anew, If only dreams came true... |