As usual, the Ravenclaw prefect was on time. Was he ever late? No. Making a note to bring that up when he argued his case to Professor Sandhu, the tall boy pushed open the doors to west tower and was greeted by a strong gust of wind. Some students at the school might have complained about the terrible smell but not him. This prefect was used to mucking out animals and disposing of waste and other foul-smelling things so to him, this was just another day on the farm. The only difference, the owlery was slightly warmer than the barns he cleaned back home.

Dressing in loose fitted, worn navy jeans and other various layers of old clothes, the prefect had figured that he’d be cleaning the owlery once he’d read the detention letter so had obviously come prepared. Yes, he even had come wearing a pair of muggle wellington boots and a pair of gloves. ‘Do your worst owlery’ he’d thought, as he stepped through the threshold to the sound of hooting and other various creaks and groans, the wind obviously not planning to slow down anytime soon.

Closing the door behind him, he walked up the stairs, two at a time and stopped in front of Professor Sandhu and waited for her to look up, ready to get this joke of a detention over with.

As the doors swung open, Simran reached behind her absently for something to use as a spare bookmark, and finding a quill, stuck the feather inside the book and shut it, quill nib sticking out. Only then did she look up.

"Good morning, Master Jones," she said pointedly, noting the lack of greeting with a raised eyebrow. "I hope you find yourself well-rested. You will, as you most likely have gathered, be cleaning the Owlery today without the use of magic."

Setting the book aside, she rose to her feet, coat straightening behind her as she drew herself to her full height of five feet and three inches and stretched her hand out expectantly. "Your wand, please, Master Jones. I will return it to you directly after detention. It will not, in fact, leave your sight, as is your right pursuant to the Code of Wand Use."

However, this was meant to be a punishment, and use of magic would make this process significantly more tolerable.

“Good Morning Professor Sindhu” Ewan replied, a neutral face staring back at the Professor as she looked up at him. Sure, he noticed the raised eyebrow but what did she really have to be angry about this early on? He’d waited for her to finish the page she was on before he interrupted her. He’d been considerate! “I’m well rested, thanks” he replied, doing his best not to smile now because it almost seemed like she was trying to get a rise out of him by implying he was tired, like he had been in her lesson but he wasn’t about to lower himself to her level. He was far taller than her at a little under 6ft 3 so if there was anyone who was going to rise it was her.

Looking around the owlery for a moment, he took in the dank and nasty appearance of it all with a small smile, honestly happy to do some manual labour work. It reminded him of home and it kept him busy so if anything, this was more of a help than a hindrance. Well, it did interrupt his studies but he didn’t mind. One day wouldn’t hurt. “Sure, thing professor. I can do that. No problem at all” smiling at her now as he held out his wand, eager to start and get the day over with. Usually he didn’t like to do such a thing but she was a professor so he’d get it back after the detention.

Rolling his sleeves up, he looked around for any cleaning supplies or brooms to start cleaning before she decided she wanted to talk to him some more.

Well, high on the list of reasons she was less than thrilled about this was the fact that she had to be awake in the morning, which most people would know by now, was not a thing. Simran woke up well past noon, got ready for the day, held office hours when necessary, then went down to dinner and classes began. Then she stayed awake planning lessons and so on until it came time for breakfast, and then she went to sleep. She had a routine, just like the students, and didn't appreciate being forced to be diurnal.

This was pleasant for exactly none of them.

"I'm glad," she nodded. That would make one of them, at least.

Taking his wand from him, she handed him a pail in return, filled with cleaning solution and two toothbrushes. The second one in case the first one broke.

Happy cleaning!

Okay so the fact he only had two toothbrushes to clean was not exactly ideal but still, he flinch when she offered him the pail and cleaning solution, taking everything in one swift swoop with nothing but a polite smile on his face. “Yes M’am” Oh how generous, two toothbrushes. The professor had thought of everything.

And so, began the scrubbing. Starting from one side of the room, the tall prefect got down on his knees and began to scrub away, all whilst whistling a jaunty show tune as he went. There really was something quite calming about manual labour jobs. Even as his knees began to hurt, the tune only changed and morphed into another as his subconscious took over, moving his body without much thought. Then again, all he had to do was to move his hand back and forth so it didn’t take much concentration, stopping only to pick of and move some of the animal skeletons that littered the floor. Who said detentions couldn’t be fun?

Simran really had thought of everything, and she was rather proud of herself for it. Once the Ravenclaw had gotten to work, she hopped off the desk and after a few nifty charms on the chair for maximum comfort (because this might take a while), she removed the quill from the book and cracked the spine instead before leaving it face-down on the desk.

"So, Master Jones, since you found it necessary to yell at me in my own classroom and then walk out, in front of younger students no less, allow me to fill you in on the events that transpired in your absence." she said, inspecting her nails. "Miss McCarthy tried to take responsibility for your actions, but short of an Imperius Curse, there's no way she can be held accountable."

"If there was an Unforgivable involved, do let me know. Then we can both finish with this detention and I can alert the necessary authorities. As Miss McCarthy is now legally an adult in the eyes of Magical Law, I'm certain she will be tried as such."

"Are you responsible, then, or is she?" Or Professor Schmoe?

Hm? She would really like to know.

”And while you’re at it.” Malachi Trent had silently made his way into the owlery, a brow raised at the boy scrubbing with toothbrushes. Given what he’d known and worked out with Simran, it was....a disappointing sight but no more disappointing than what brought the boy here to begin with.

The Headmaster went and stood by the astronomy woman. He gave her a nod of both greeting and apology—something had come up—before looking to Jones again.

“You can explain to me why you thought your actions befit a prefect.” Those badges hadn’t been handed out lightly. Did he know? Did he not understand all it entailed. ”Why you thought, especially given your position, you can simply waltz out of a class and display poor behaviour for your peers to follow.”

With everything else going on in the castle, the last thing Malachi wanted to hear was about wayward Prefects who didn’t know how to act. He expected far more from those with badges and right now, Jones was coming up short.

The toothbrush...he’d get to in a minute.

Still scrubbing, the tall Ravenclaw prefect’s mind went into auto-pilot mode, his hands moving of their own accord. He wasn’t a stranger to hard work. Quite the opposite actually. He loved the feeling at the end of the day when you can see what you’ve accomplished after a hard day’s work. Somehow, he had a feeling that cleaning this place would take more than one detention and he was prepared for it.

Blinking a little, his head returned to the direction of Professor Sandhu, his hands continuing to clean animal faeces off of the floor. “My actions in class had nothing to do with Chloe Professor. It was my decision to walk out” all of which was technically true. Sure, he may have walked out because of something Chloe had done previously but it was still his decision to walk out, even after a warning. “There was no Unforgivable curse” he continued, not at all amused by her obvious attempt at humour. Leave it to Chloe to try and make things better but to only make things worse.

Speaking of worse. Leave it to the headmaster to walk into his detention. Typical. Everyone else does stupid and terrible things and gets away with it but he dips his toe over the line once in 6 years and the full weight of Hogwarts is thrust down upon him. Typical. Briefly his eyes met the visage of the headmaster, curious as to how him walking out measured on the scale of importance to the headmaster. “Well Headmaster, it all started when I walked into Professor Sandhu’s class and put my head down on the table and she took after 3 points from Ravenclaw” Sure, he hadn’t exactly set the best example but it hardly warranted the points deduction. Doing his best to sound respectful but to also explain his point, he continued “I explained to the Professor that if she’d asked what was wrong with me rather than to simply take away the points, it might have helped” pausing for a second before continuing “It would have set a better example” Sure, that was rich coming from him but that’s what he believed. “And then I walked out” his eyes now returning to the brush in his hands and the dirty floor. “Sometimes it’s better to leave a situation than make it worse. Well, worse than it already was”.

“I didn’t just waltz out of class for no reason. I stood up for something that I thought was right. If you’re not willing to fight for something you believe in, you might as well just give up on life” He may not have gone about it in the right way but he firmly believed that neither did the Professor and he wasn’t going to back down now. Sure, he’d take his punishment but that wouldn’t change his mind. He honestly loved being a prefect. It made him proud that he represented the Ravenclaw house and being someone who was supposed to set an example, standing up for something you believe in was an important example to set. “I understand if you want to take my prefect’s badge away from me”

Oh, Simran wasn't even trying to be funny. She was far beyond that point, but the line of questioning was a step above throttling the boy and she didn't quite have the constitution for jail at her age. This boy was testing her, though, and she was not NEARLY as in-control of her murderous urges as she would like to be this morning when she would normally be sleeping.

Malachi got a pained smile in response anyway, before she directed her gaze back at the Ravenclaw.

"Explain is not quite how I would describe your behaviour, Master Jones. I am neither forgetful nor stupid. In fact, I do believe you shouted at me in my own classroom for enforcing rules and expectations that you are expected to be familiar with." She had now left her seat, shutting her book with such volume that it startled a few nearby owls. "Three points is nothing in the grand scheme of things. However, if you had raised concerns in a quiet and respectful manner, after class, I assure you, you would not have lost your house eighty points and landed yourself here in detention."

"Instead, you chose to make a scene, continued to be insubordinate even after being instructed to take your seat, disrupted my lecture and inspired other students in your house to be insubordinate after you had left as well."

"So no, Master Jones. You are no crusader, martyring yourself for what you believed to be a good cause. You were a child throwing a tantrum, and are being punished for your poor behaviour. I am very sorry that you were never taught the difference."

Then, turning to the Headmaster, voice lowered, she added: "And I will leave the bit about his badge to you, since that's not my jurisdiction."

Even before the astronomy Professor started to talk, Ewan could feel the tension in the room start to grow. Or maybe it was just his own sense of dread? Either way, as the Professor stood and slammed her book shut with a velocity that matched that of a muggle plane taking off, he could sense that something was coming his way.

With his eyes still down on the brush in his right hand, he simply listened for a moment, focusing on the rhythm of the brush strokes. Up and down, Up and down as she spoke, giving her side of events. Truthfully, he didn’t really have a problem with what she had said for the most part because it was her opinion. Sure, he had raised his voice. There was no denying that. Had he made a scene? Potentially. Inspired other people to disrupt the lesson? Okay, that was a bit far, although he couldn’t exactly judge that seeing as he’d left so he’d just have to take her word for it.

Was he being a martyr though? Hardly. He was simply standing up for something he believed in. That didn’t make him a martyr. That simply made him someone with principles. Someone who wasn’t willing to back down in the face of animosity and he was about to tell the Professor and Headmaster exactly this. Until she had gone one step too far. Had pushed too much.

Dropping the toothbrush to the floor, he stood up, instantly turning towards the Professor as he brought himself up to his full height, his stomach tensed for what was inevitably about to happen. How could she know that she had struck a nerve, mentioning that he was “never taught the difference”? What were the chances that any of the teachers knew that he never had anyone to teach him at all? And that for the longest of times, he’d spent days and months on his own on the streets or sofa surfing from house to house?

The pain that now emanated across his face was clear and obvious. It wreaked of hurt and anguish, of pain and hurt. This was a wound inflicted by a teacher. Someone he was supposed to trust. Someone he was meant to go to in times of need. “Taught the difference?” he replied finally, his eyes ablaze as though someone had cast incendio on them. “What do you know about what I’ve been taught? You don’t know anything about me.” he continued, doing his best to cover up the hurt in his voice.

“You stand there with your book assuming I’m throwing a tantrum but you still haven’t really listened to a word I’ve said. Not once have you asked me why I had my head down on the table or why I was so quick to raise my voice in your lesson I’ve clearly never done anything remotely close to that in any lesson before” the words just flowing from him now. Some might call it verbal diarrhoea. “You’re just assuming, what, that I was just out to disrupt your lesson for no reason? No. I’d never do that. I didn’t even do that when we had that awful headteacher a few years ago who made a go jogging every morning!” Although he didn’t really mind that part, not that he would mention this.

“And now you just insult me? Sweet. Good teaching. First class” jutting out his jaw slightly in an attempt to bite back what he really wanted to say, he just starred daggers at her for a moment, too incensed to move. He was about to lose his prefects badge and quite possibly his place at Hogwarts and he knew it but he didn’t care. Not anymore.