Chapter Eight: Being Weighed and Measured

Snape lead Adara down to the dungeons and straight into his office without pause. With one sharp gesture, he directed her to the place where he wanted the box set down. She nodded slightly and placed the parcel in the spot the Professor had indicated, then turned to him with her usual polite smile. "Is that all you need, Sir?"

His eyes roved over her arms then back to her face with a cold and calculating expression. "Not just yet." He turned to face a bookshelf to the side of the room. "Are you any good at organizing books?"

"If you'll pardon my saying so, Professor, I believe I am Professor Graft's assistant, not yours. Perhaps I should ask him if he still needs me first."

Snape glowered at her, walked to the fireplace and waved his hand. "Gersham, are you there?"

"Yes. What do you need, Severus?"

"Your assistant, if you have no more use for her right now."

"Of course, go ahead. If I have something for Miss Sage to do, I'll call for her."

Professor Snape nodded, waved his hand again and turned back to Adara. "Now, as I was saying, are you any good at organizing books, Miss Sage?"

Though she was greatly annoyed at being treated like a tool or some other object, Adara kept her composure and nodded. "Yes, Sir."

"Very well. I expect that shelf and the one beside it to be in complete order by the time I return." Without another word, he left the room.

Her eyes narrowed as the door closed behind Snape. "What do I look like? Surely they don't think I'm only useful once in awhile," she grumbled as she set to work placing the volumes of text in the order she assumed Snape wanted them in.

As she organized the books, more appeared to fill up spaces where one had been set on an angle. Adara sighed again, but continued to work with little complaint. She dusted off a few volumes with an old rag she had summoned. Her diligent work went on until she came across a book that did not seem to belong with the others. It was a book of dark arts magic.

Her eyes flitted over the room to ensure she was alone. Then she turned her attention to the book, sat on the edge of Snape's desk and carefully thumbed through the pages. With one long, slender finger trailing down odd pages, she read spell after spell and many other dark concoctions. As she turned over another leaf of the book, a single piece of folded parchment fell to the floor. She laid the book down on the desk, picked up the paper and unfolded it. It was nothing more than the list he'd made out of potions ingredients Adara retrieved from Knockturn Alley.

She shook her head and placed the note back between the pages it had slipped from. That's when she noticed Snape had been using it as both a guide and a bookmark. Her eyes quickly scanned the page with the potion on it. She only got halfway down the page before she heard the clacking of heels in the hallway. Quickly she stuffed the book in its place and was glad to see no more appear to fill empty spaces.

With a small hop and a few quick flicks of her wrists, she was standing on her feet again in front of the desk and her dress had been smoothed out. As the office door opened, she pulled out her wand. Snape's eyes narrowed the instant they fell on her. His mouth twitched as though words were being formed, but before he could speak, Adara flicked her wand and the old rag she had been using to dust vanished. She smiled faintly and tucked the wand away. "They are in proper order, as requested, Sir. I also took the liberty of cleaning them myself so the spines would be easier to read when you desire a specific copy."

The Professor's eyes narrowed to black slits as he carefully examined each and every book on the shelf as though memorizing the covers to ensure none were missing. "Not bad, Miss Sage. Not perfect, but certainly not bad."

Adara rolled her eyes behind Snape's back and continued to use a friendly voice. "Thank you, Sir. Is that all you required of me? I really should be getting on to the Defen..."

"No, that's not all, Miss Sage. I'll tell you when you're relieved of duty," he told her in flat, callous tones.

She took a deep breath and allowed her voice to float out with practiced calm. "Of course, Professor. My apologies for assuming too much."

Snape turned and eyed her suspiciously, as though automatically thinking her words were mocking him. "Hmm....let's see what else there is for you to busy yourself with, shall we?"

"Yes, Sir." Adara stood and waited patiently for Snape to find her another pointless and demeaning job. Her eyes followed him as he focused his attention here and there throughout the room. He nodded at a few things while she crinkled her nose behind him.

Finally, with an aggravated sigh, he turned back around to face her empty handed. "I suppose you're dismissed for the time being, Miss Sage. You can be certain I'll have more for you to do later."

"Of course." She curtsied quickly and politely, then stepped briskly from the office. She liked being in Snape's company very little as it was, the last thing she needed was to turn into his little errand girl. If anything could ruffle her feathers, that was it. Being Snape's little slave. Ugh. Just the thought made Adara cringe.

She hurriedly bustled off to the Defense class and secretly wished she would not be called back to Snape's office for some other pointless task. She knocked lightly upon the door and entered silently. The third class of the day was now in session, so Adara picked her way quietly to the front and awaited her orders.

"Greetings, Miss Sage, and welcome back. I take it you finished up what Professor Snape asked of you?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Very good. Please just have a seat at your desk for the moment and I'll be right with you."

She nodded and strolled to her desk to have a seat and wait again. It did not take long before Graft called on her to fetch something for him. Adara rose from her seat and carried out the request without complaint. With a medium sized box in hand, she walked back to Graft with a soft smile and set the object down.

"Considering your deceiving strength, Miss Sage, I'll ask you to take the object from the box and hold it steady."

Again she nodded and did as asked.

The Professor continued on. "This is an Erkling. They are found in parts of Germany, they have a high-pitched voice which they use to lure children, then they eat them. I'm going to teach you how to successfully stop an Erkling without causing it harm or death. Keep in mind, it's illegal to kill one."

While Adara held the creature in place, Graft cast two spells on it. One was a silencing spell so it could not use its almost hypnotic voice. The second was a stunning spell that lasted long enough for someone to escape. Once the three foot tall Erkling had been stunned, she gently placed it back in the box and carried it to where it was before.

"Thank you, Miss Sage. That's all for now."

She walked to her desk again and sat down. She gazed out of the window as the class proceeded. Third class ended and fourth began as Adara continued watching birds fly past and clouds roll by the window.

"...let's be on our way, everyone. We don't want to keep Hagrid waiting," Professor Graft's voice interrupted Adara's thoughts. She looked up with a puzzled expression wondering what was going on. "Are you coming with us, Miss Sage?"

"Yes, of course." She rose from her seat and walked up beside Professor Graft. "Might I ask where we're going, Sir?"

"We're going out to Hagrid's hut to see the Occamy I had flown in for this class."

Adara followed Graft out to Hagrid's hut with the seventh year students. She could hear the oversized man's voice booming above all other noise. "A'right, gather 'round ev'ryone, gather 'round. Mind yer step now, this beast ain't friendly." Everyone formed a circle around the enclosure to get a good look at the odd little creature tied within.

Professor Graft moved to the front to begin the lesson. "I taught you about these creatures last year. Can anyone tell me what this is?"

A young man standing near Adara timidly rose his hand. "Is it an Occamy?"

"Right you are, Jeffery, right you are. Now, does anyone remember anything about them?" Adara looked over the sea of blank faces with an amused grin. When no hands made themselves present, Graft continued speaking. "The Occamy is found in the Far East and India. You're chances of encountering one are slim, so I had this one flown here specially for the class. Miss Sage? Could you help by telling the class what these creatures eat?"

It seemed not only her ability to clean and organize would be put to the test, but also how to subdue an animal and her knowledge of the beasts. "Of course, Sir." She walked to the fence line and faced the class. "Occamys feed mainly on birds and rats. They're an excellent pest control in their native land. However, if they're large enough, they will also take on larger prey like monkeys."

"Very good, Miss Sage." Graft's eyes returned to the students before him. "These creatures can reach lengths of fifteen feet and are highly aggressive to anyone who might approach them. During nesting season, their ill-tempered natures reach a new height while they protect their eggs. The Occamy's eggs are made of purest, softest silver and are highly sought after. As you can see, they have the body of a serpent and possess two legs, two wings and plumes."

Adara tuned out the rest of the lesson. She already knew all she needed to about magical beasts of the world. It seemed her skill was not entirely necessary and that Graft would have no more real need of her. Hagrid walked over and stood next to her. "How're yeh feelin', Adara?"

"Not bad, Hagrid. And you?"

"Same. Are yeh thinkin' o' becomin' a Professor here?"

"I might. I'm not really sure yet though."

Hagrid nodded and kept quiet for the rest of the lesson. Even when he tried to whisper his voice was quite loud and others had become interested in their conversation over the lesson.