"But they are your charms you are a wizard." Still her eyes were pleading with him. Please boy just practice. "No one will let me in their frame. I'm left all alone in there. Professor said he would put me up in his corridor if I did this for him." She just wanted to be up with everyone else and see the other students.

"You are very cute." She giggled a bit and would have blushed if she wasn't painted. "I have to start screaming again if you don't start practicing. Could you do even just one? Maybe one that you know well? You unlocked that door. That was on the list... right?" It was a start. She didn't have to scream since he did one spell, but she'd have to start again soon.

There she went again, saying things in that muffled near whisper as if she didn't truly intend for him to hear. But...if she didn't want him hearing, then why did she bother speaking? Perhaps he could have reasoned it out a little better if the incessant ringing in his ears would take a break. Just a small one, then he wouldn't feel so crummy and maybe he wouldn't have to keep looking over at his notepad to be sure he was hearing right.

Reading the words, however, never made them any better. The boy scowled deeply at his companion.

"I'm also a Gryffindor but you don't see me with the bloody sword. Being a wizard doesn't land me ownership of magic, especially not when I don't want it." How strange his own words sounded when so far muffled. "I'm sorry you'll be locked up again but it's not fair to place your freedom in my hands. He should let you out because he's a good person, not because he wants you breaking my resolve." He gave her his most serious look. "I can't help you. I've done magic; that door didn't open and close on it's own, that's two off the list however unintentionally done and I don't intend to do more. If you tell me where they lock you up, I'll let you out myself later but otherwise I'm afraid you're on your own."

And he meant it. His scowl only deepened as his quill went on writing. Calling him cute was one thing and really it was whatever, he wouldn't even dwell on it but, "Don't you get it?" Brown eyes fixed themselves on the girl. His brows sinking in defiance. "Even after my ears start bleeding, I won't cast. I don't have need to. I don't do magic on a whim nor on request--I'm not a magician. Being stuck a wizard is as unfortunate as my predicament needs to be. It doesn't need to be worsened by the constant demands and pressure to do magic, get things right, practise practise practise then never use the spells again." The ringing was getting louder. "Go ahead, start screaming. That's my final answer."

But.. but..

No

He had to do the charms. She was failing. She didn't like to fail and she wanted to make the professor happy. "I don't know where I'm locked up, it's always dark." He wasn't going to do it. He wasn't going to even try. She looked at him with disappointment and sadness.

She then started screaming again, but it wasn't the ear bleeding screaming it was something was wrong scream. She pointed, "The chair, the professor's chair" She pointed to the chair as it had suddenly caught on fire and was burning and filling the room with smoke.

The quill suddenly picking up speed was the first indication that something was wrong. Sophia's screaming wasn't a tip off as she'd been doing it all evening but the smoke...that definitely had him turning around. The Gryffindor didn't need to check his notepad. He would bet his quill that the fire was the source of the girl's sudden distress.

Took only seconds for the distress to spread to him. In the middle of this new development were his HIGHLY FLAMMABLE quill and notepad.

VSHFBFKFMSHSVFLFMRHFMD!!!!!!!!!

Blaise grabbed both, sticking them into his pocket. There, safe, perfectly safe. Only way this would go bad was if he caught fire himself--but the fire was currently confined to the chair. No big deal. Any minute now the Professor would return to put it out, then they would find another room to continue the detention. No problem.

The 13 year old fanned at the smoke as it began to spread but that was all the action he took as he stood staring. For all he knew, the man rigged the chair to catch fire in a further attempt to sway him toward magic but nope. Nothing doing.

Why was he not doing anything? He was just going to watch the fire? DID HE KNOW SHE WAS A PAINTING?? The smoke didn't seem like it was a harmful smoke and was as if it was a charmed fire that was still going to CATCH HER ON FIRE!!

She continued to scream loudly as there seemed to be a substance on the floor that let the fire travel over towards them. It was getting closer and closer to the boy and the table, which meant it was getting closer to HER!!

DO SOMETHING YOU... YOU BOY!! DON'T LET IT GET ME!!"


Could she go back to the dark boring storage now?

His most immediate concern was becoming less of a problem as the seconds trickled by. No longer was he fanning the smoke. It...wasn't doing much in the way of harm. Kinda like........magic.

...Magic. MAGIC????

Of freakin' course. Why WOULDN'T magic have found yet another way to ruin his evening? Now there was some kind of magical fire with magical smoke. If the smoke didn't hurt, chances were this really was some elaborate plot by the Professor which meant the fire probably didn't hurt either. The boy stared resentfully at the fire, firmly believing he had figured it out.

Conveniently need to leave the room, then suddenly a fire with smoke that did nothing. Of course. This was the PERFECT way to trick him into magic then he would see his true capabilities and start using magic from now on.

Dragon dung.

Blaise stared on at the flames that creptvever closer. "Shut up! Shut. Up. I've heard enough from you! Constantly telling me what I have to do; yelling at me to use magic. You think this is funny?? You think this will magically cure my animosity???" His annoyance at the situation grew, as did the throbbing in his head that had yet to subside. "You want me to DO something????????" The Gryffindor grabbed the portrait by the frame, yanked it from the wall and threw it to the floor. He glanced down at the substance that helped the fire travel before marching over to the table by the burning chair. With everything in him, the boy shoved at the table til it toppled over on its side, falling into the flames.

He had HAD it with all these elaborate magical means of trying to get him to use magic. His frustration had him giving a few solid kids to the table that quickly caught fire as well before he stepped back. "I won't do it!" He yelled, convinced the Professor was somewhere in another room, watching and having a laugh. "Your magic fire doesn't scare me!"

WHAT WAS HE DOING??? WHY WAS HE TOUCHING HER FRAME?


"NO... NO... boy don't touch me!!" He was going to throw her in the fire. WHAT THE HELL!! She was too young to go. She took off out of the frame, but her screaming had pushed everyone to not allow her into other frames. The flames were rising and unlike the smoke they were very harmful. The minute her frame touched it the portrait caught fire and burned up.

Huh. Would you look at that. It DID burn all the way through. Blaise stood, watching the flames engulf the frame until there was nothing left. Whether Sophia got out or not was no concern of his. Rather, he was still looking around, trying to make sense of it all.

Why had the Professor set fire to the place?--There was no convincing him otherwise in this damp and cold dungeon. It wasn't exactly ideal for fire starting. Not to mention the fact it was magic, which meant someone had to set it up and he was the only one using this room tonight. Unless...unless another Professor had had plans and really just what did they think was good punishment material? Merlin's beard!

Blaise kept well away from the spreading flames. He didn't want his robes then his quill and notepad catching fire. Any minute now the Professor would walk back in. He'd be mad at him for letting the fire spread so far but that was the least of his worries.

Magic fires made Ashwinders. If everything in here burned and became ashes, he was toast. The Professor had better show up before one did.

Julien had actually gotten a real patronous and had left to his office. Upon his return he first noticed that the quill and the notebook were gone. Which meant that Blaise did do magic to get out. So the boy would do it alone. He was about to be hopeful that he might have actually done what he was supposed to, but the smell of smoke made the fifty one year old turn and head into the room.

"What the bloody..."

It was magical, but he hadn't put it there. He looked around the room for a moment taking it all in. "Why have you not stopped the flames yet? You can produce water." Stubborn boy was stubborn and then his eyes fell on the wall. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?" Where was Sophia? He would have to look for her in other portraits and hope that one of the framed people had let her in.

He had ENOUGH!

"Accio Quill and Notebook" He didn't grab the Quill or notebook though as it sprung from the robes he levitated it right above the flames. "These seem to be very precious to you. So if you want them back you are going to have to stop the flames to save them. You destroyed school property because you are being too stubborn to use your wand like you were born to do. I have been patient Blaise, but drastic measures need to be done." He would request a meeting with the boys parents and request a suspension if this kept up. You can't go to a Wizarding school and not be able to or refuse to do magic.


This wasn't an option, it was school!

He hadn't heard the door open. He hadn't heard the Professor's initial questions. There was very little that Blaise COULD hear above the ringing and murmurs in his ears and the crackling of the fire steadily moving through the room.

It was fair to say that if his quill and notepad hadn't suddenly leapt from his pocket, the boy wouldn't have noticed the man's entrance at all.

Blaise whipped around, trying to get the location of his prized possessions. He hadn't trained them to do that, in fact, he'd told them to stand down. Fire was no place for them so WHY had they left his pockets--oh. Professor Primeaux. He'd finally returned to put out the fire! Well thank Merlin, he thought he'd be stuck here and bake or something.

Wait...wait...what...was...he DOING??

WHATWASHEDOING? WHATWASHEDOING? WHATWASHEDOING???????

Brown eyes grew wide and wild. The boy might not have heard more than a mumble or two of what the Professor had said but context clues were a hell of a thing. There was only so much a person could mean when they levitated your flammable quill and notepad above FLAMES.

"NO!" The plea was a desperate one. That notepad went as far back as perhaps...December? All that content, it was irreplaceable. His stories, the little memories. "Noooooo!!!" Didn't matter how faintly he heard his voice, he knew it must have been loud enough and strained enough for the man to comprehend his growing level of distress.

Those wide eyes quickly filled with tears as the flames caught the end of his quill--the quill he had punched Davie Truebridge between the eyes to get back; the first quill he'd ever gotten; his FAVOURITE one AND IT WAS BURNING!!!

"Aguamenti!" It wasn't working! Why wasn't it working?! Blaise shook at his wand desperately. This was not the time at ALL. He needed to focus but it was difficult to think of anything beyond the quill and the little embers climbing steadily higher onto his most prized of all his prized quills. "Aguamenti! Aguamenti!" Please work! His efforts grew all the more desperate as the fire crackled and jumped scorching the end of the notepad. Didn't matter that it hadn't caught fire, the boy was now standing outside himself, watching this all take place. Willing something to work. He wasn't aware of when it happened but a steady stream of water erupted from his wand, dousing everything in it's immediate path. It was as if his body was doing what it wanted, taking aim in all directions until the last of the flames sizzled to nothing.

The quill and notebook was fine. He wouldn't really let anything happen to it. He wasn't that big of a jerk. He just didn't mind being thought of being one. He used it to his advantage when he needed it, but Julien was compassionate, he had children he understood. That didn't stop him from trying to push the boy in front of him to his limits and limits were pushed.

A smile played on Julien's lips when the boy finally set water against the fire and the flames went out. He didn't even care that he was now standing there soaked from the water. His wand already out he let the quill and notebook levitate back to Blaise and then did a quick flick of his wand to help Blaise with his ears, knowing the girls scream had made his own ears hurt the first time.

"Where is Sophia?" He was still a bit distraught over the portrait. Damaging property was not something lightly. "Blaise you are a Wizard that is something you need to come to term with. You can do spells very well when you put your mind to it. In danger you were able to work with your wand and save your quill and notebook. If you let myself and other professors help you, you could be even more great."

Taking his wand he cleaned up the room, "You worked out three charms in this room. For the rest of your detention you are going to go search portraits and see if Sophia escaped. I hope to never have to do detention with you again Blaise, but I will if you miss class or not bring your wand to at least try again." Did he make himself clear?

Opening the door he stepped aside so that Blaise could exit before he did as well.

There was water all over and he wasn't entirely sure how it got there. One minute, he was watching his quill catch fire and the next everything was gone and he could hear and the Professor was just standing there and....and....he didn't know anymore.

The relief at not having that painful ringing in his ears was, however, short lived as the boy soon found himself wishing he once again had a hearing problem. It would have been better than listening to the Professor dribble this garbage.

Why didn't he understand? Blaise didn't want to be great. He didn't want to be good. He didn't want to have anything to do with casting magic if he could help it.

The Gryffindor stared blankly at the man. He was hearing his words, but he wasn't truly listening. In his mind, he was already anywhere but here. Staying far away, as far as humanly possible. For as much as he could help it, this man would never see him again. Before long, he would wonder if the boy transferred or graduated because for as much as it was within his power, there would be no repeats of this.

He didn't give a response to the threat, nor did he to the instructions to find Sophia before simply leaving. She was a painting, if she was gone, someone could paint her back, maybe even this time with a better personality. Blaise was done for the night. He wouldn't do a single thing more outside of crawling into bed and convincing himself this whole thing didn't happen.