Chapter four: Detention
Renee stood in front professor McGonagall's table and staring blankly at her. Surely Malfoy didn't tell his tragic bunny ears to his father; instead he went straight to professor Snape's office.
The new student glanced at her side. Professor Snape was staring at her with his eyebrow raised, arms crossed in front and Malfoy (which he already have normal ears which in my dismay) smirking at her.
Professor McGonagall put down her glasses and signed. I guess she already heard the story, hope that she heard the both side though.
"I believe that I've already told the class that transfiguration should not use outside the classroom, let alone using it to a fellow student Miss Matte" The transfiguration professor looked at her disapprovingly, yet there was something on her eyes…and Renee couldn't put a finger to it. Was that amusement?
"I…" Renee tried to search for words. But cannot find them, as she was still thinking that professor Snape still looking at her attentively. She never knows what it hit her whenever he looked at her… those eyes and those deep voice that…
"You'll spend two weeks in detention Miss Matte, under professor Snape's supervision. As I will be the one who will supervise Mister Malfoy's" Those made Renee stop in daydreaming. She tried to hide her smirk as she saw Malfoy's smirk was now replaced in grimace.
"But professor, there must be a mistake. I'm the one whose victim here" he protests glancing at Professor Snape, which didn't even look at him.
"I believed I've heard the story in both sides, Mister Malfoy. You may not use any magic but tripping Mister Potter, insulting Miss Granger and Miss Matte is not an exception for the detention" She said as a matter of fact.
"15 points will be deducted on both of you" She said which made Malfoy more furious.
Renee tried to complain to the points being deducted to their house. But since professor McGonagall were already glaring at her and realizing that he also agreed deducted some points to his own house, Renee keep her mouth shut.
"That will be all. You can now go to your very classes" She said glancing again to her parchment and continued working.
The two students exited the office. Renee made a quick glance at Professor Snape as he was discussing something with their head of the house. She could see the smile on Professor McGonagall, and that made her curious.
"You'll never get with this Matte; I assure you will regret this for the rest of your life. You just went to the wrong side." He said angrily and shoved her, meeting with his gang who are waiting with him outside.
"Sure, I'll be ready for it, rabbit boy" Renee muttered which made Malfoy red in embarrassment and anger.
"Renee!" Hermione, Harry and Ron rushed to her side. I think they were waiting outside the office when they heard that I was summoned there.
"I'm sorry, we shouldn't..."
"Hey don't sweat it. I should be the one telling you that. I'm deducting 15 points to our house" Said Renee calmly at them.
"Seeing Malfoy in Rabbit ears? I could risk another 20 points to see him like that!" Ron exclaimed and Hermione rolled her eyes on him.
"Thanks" Hermione hold her hands, nearly teary eyed.
"No problem, that's were friends are for right?" Renee said, trying not to get teary eyed too.
"Girls" Harry and Ron just said in unison. And they shared laughter.
Making friends here wasn't that bad after all.
Renee stood in front of the potions lab, feeling butterflies infecting her stomach. I still haven't sorted this kind of feeling when I'm seeing our potions master, and now I'm here for my detention. Being alone with him for a couple of hours was starting to sink in her.
She knocked at the door and heard his cold voice answered "enter". Renee opened the door and could see him on his desk writing on a parchment, not even glancing at her. At Snape's side, she could see several cauldrons lying. Renee stood there for quiet some time before he glanced at the student in front of him. I think he was testing my patience, talk about being so…Slytherin.
"You're going to clean those cauldrons; I want those clean that I could see my reflection Miss Matte. No magic" Snape glanced at pilled of cauldrons on his side.
Renee flinched from that statement, cleaning all of those will take the whole night. I swear I saw him smirked at my expression. He really is a sadist.
She rolled her sleeves and started picked the first cauldron and took the toothbrush on its side, unbelievingly realized that he loved torturing his students. Renee started on scrubbing the first cauldron. It wasn't that hard actually; she also trained in house chores even though they have Toby in their house. Renee glanced once in a while to the professor who is supervising her, noticing him that he was grading some essays from his class. He was that concentrated in reading one of the parchments and put a 'D' on it.
"Eyes on the cauldron Matte" he said not even looking at the student who's serving her detention. Renee could feel her ears got hot again and dared not to look at the professor again.
Renee was on her third cauldron and she's already itching to use magic. Surely, he won't notice if I'm going to use some non-verbal spells to the cauldrons, right? She was secretly learning about non-verbal spells ever since she read that on a book in the library, though she hasn't tried it really.
She dropped thinking about the non-verbal spell and signed. I might make a mistake and he will give me another week of detention. I couldn't afford to have added week of my self-torturing moment since I'm still confuse of my reactions to my potions master's glare.
I may be a masochist, a not very nice revelation, mind you.
Renee was on her fifth cauldron when he told the student that her detention for today was finished. She signed in relieved and bid good night to the professor.
It was almost nine in the evening when Renee finished her detention with Professor Snape. She walked to the empty corridors and headed to the common room.
The corridors were eerily enough to make her spine shiver, though floating ghost and talking portraits were ordinary sight here in Hogwarts. But then she saw on a corner of her eye, she saw one Dementor passed by. That made Renee stiffened from her spot, I thought they were prohibited inside the castle?
She snapped to reality, and looked again where she had seen the Dementor; Surely enough it wasn't in her sight anymore. Renee began to fasten her pace toward the Gryffindor tower, Harry already warned me about those creatures.
Renee reached the portrait and gives the password. She saw the golden trio talking near the fireplace. They might be waiting me in my detention, she thought. Then suddenly she heard them talking about something.
"I don't know why, maybe we should tell her about it Harry. Maybe we could solve this together" She heard Hermione said. What they are talking about?
"I don't know Hermione. You know the only time I've gotten this kind of feeling is when I'm in danger" Renee could hear Harry spoke.
"Transferring was really unusual. But she seems to be nice" Said Hermione. I knew they were talking about me.
"Hey" The trio jumped in her voice and caught their attention.
"Finished with the bloody detention?" Ron asked.
"Yeah, cleaning cauldrons with a toothbrush, bloody hell indeed" said Renee and smiled and sat at the empty chair near the fireplace.
"Umm... Renee, I've been thinking. It's been still a mystery to me about umm…" Harry tried to compose his sentence, though Renee already figured figure out what is he talking about.
"About that weird electricity thing?" Renee finished his sentence for his own convenience. He nodded and looked at Hermione and Ron.
"I thought I was just hallucinating about it. How does it only you I had that connection whenever our skin got touched? I've been trying to research about it in the library, but still nothing to find" Renee explained at him.
"Maybe it was some kind of disease or something" Ron suggested and Hermione glared at him.
"We should research about it, and if we don't find anything… we could ask Professor Dumbledore about it, I'm sure he must know something about it" Hermione got a point there, though Renee haven't thought about asking the headmaster about it, it's just a trivial matter, is it? She questioned herself.
The four agreed to go to library the next day to search something about it. Disease or not, it is really bothering Renee and the Dementor was long forgotten.
Renee bolted up in bed, sweating and panting. Sure enough, that wasn't a very good dream. It's the very same dream she'd dreamt before but there are some added things there. It was nightmare, but it seems so real.
Renee was running fast, as if she was running for her life. She was clutching her wand on her hand.
"Expelliarmus!" she shouted at her back, not even bothered stop in running. And then Renee saw what is chasing her. A man, wearing black robes with a big scar on his head was chasing her. He was laughing, as if enjoying enough to the chase.
"Crusio!" he shouted and Renee stumbled on the floor, feeling pain in every inch of her body. He stood in front of her and laughed once again.
He mouthed some words; his voice became distant that Renee didn't understand what he is saying. That was the time Renee got awake from the dreadful dream.
She glanced at the clock; it wasn't nearly four in the morning, for Merlin sake!, she cursed inside her. Renee could hear soft snores from Ginny's side and she doesn't think she could fall asleep again.
Those dreams will definitely keep her awake till the first sunshine peeked on her window.