first years watched in surprise as the contestants battled it out, with the loser of each round inevitably ending up flying across the room, or crashing to the ground after being immobilised in some way, and having their wands jubilantly snatched by their opponent.
Then after a quick look round the trophy room, they were off to the dungeons where they were going to have their magical defence lessons. As the dungeons were the home of Draco House, there was a special shortcut that took the other house students straight to the classrooms without going anywhere near the dorms or common rooms.
A group of second years were sitting in a dark, cold, and windowless dungeon, being dictated to by the equally dark and cold Professor Kaedon. He was reading a section out of a gruesome looking textbook about torture spells and how they worked. It sounded more like a lesson in how to torture people, rather than how to defend yourself against such spells!
The second years were all scribbling furiously, and didn’t even look up as the first years came in. Tallion noticed several sets of manacles hanging from the walls, and a whip coiled neatly on the professor’s desk. He brought them to Zak’s attention.
I think he maybe demonstrates some of his lessons on them if they misbehave!
The first years got a coolly raised eyebrow from the professor as he glanced up from his reading, and then a malicious gleam entered his eyes.
“STOP!” he called out to his second years who all instantly put their quills down and sat motionless.
“Bradbury,” he said slowly, pronouncing every syllable of the boy’s name carefully.
A second year boy stood immediately with a very fixed look on his face, staring at the professor.
“Have I told you before about chewing gum in my class?”
“Yes sir.”
“Then why do you persist in breaking the rules?”
“Sorry sir.”
“Come to the front of the class, get a piece of waste paper out of the basket, and dispose of your gum. Now.”
The boy called Bradbury knew what was coming, having suffered this treatment a few times already, and stoically walked forwards to the corner of the classroom where the rubbish bin was placed behind a waist high bar. In order to get a piece of paper out of the bin, he had to lean over the bar. As he did so there was a loud crack as the whip from the professor’s desk made contact with Bradbury’s exposed backside. The student flinched but grabbed his piece of paper and stood up quickly before he got a second stripe. He took the gum out of his mouth and wrapped it in the piece of paper.
“Don’t drop it Bradbury, place it carefully in the bin.”
The student steeled himself, leaned over the bar once more and quickly put his gum into the bin, and duly received a second stripe accompanied by another loud crack from the whip!
“I trust no-one else is chewing gum?” asked the professor in an oily voice. “Very well, we’ll carry on with the lesson.”
Bradbury had made it back to his desk by this time, and although he was trying very hard to hide it, his punishment had hurt much more than just his pride, and his eyes were glistening with suppressed tears. The professor continued his monologue from the textbook as the first years silently left the room.
When they were back in the main school, David turned and gathered them round himself.
“Professor Kaedon is very strict. If you stick with his rules, then you’ll be fine, but he does not tolerate indiscipline in his class. You’ll all get one warning each before he gives you a punishment, and he never loses count! Oh, and I’ve never seen anyone put in the manacles on the wall!”
The new students looked fearfully at each other, before quickly following their prefects. They visited a history lesson and a charms lesson before they went back to the Banqueting Hall for lunch, enjoying the infectiously happy atmosphere of the school. With the possible exception of Bradbury
Then after a quick look round the trophy room, they were off to the dungeons where they were going to have their magical defence lessons. As the dungeons were the home of Draco House, there was a special shortcut that took the other house students straight to the classrooms without going anywhere near the dorms or common rooms.
A group of second years were sitting in a dark, cold, and windowless dungeon, being dictated to by the equally dark and cold Professor Kaedon. He was reading a section out of a gruesome looking textbook about torture spells and how they worked. It sounded more like a lesson in how to torture people, rather than how to defend yourself against such spells!
The second years were all scribbling furiously, and didn’t even look up as the first years came in. Tallion noticed several sets of manacles hanging from the walls, and a whip coiled neatly on the professor’s desk. He brought them to Zak’s attention.
I think he maybe demonstrates some of his lessons on them if they misbehave!
The first years got a coolly raised eyebrow from the professor as he glanced up from his reading, and then a malicious gleam entered his eyes.
“STOP!” he called out to his second years who all instantly put their quills down and sat motionless.
“Bradbury,” he said slowly, pronouncing every syllable of the boy’s name carefully.
A second year boy stood immediately with a very fixed look on his face, staring at the professor.
“Have I told you before about chewing gum in my class?”
“Yes sir.”
“Then why do you persist in breaking the rules?”
“Sorry sir.”
“Come to the front of the class, get a piece of waste paper out of the basket, and dispose of your gum. Now.”
The boy called Bradbury knew what was coming, having suffered this treatment a few times already, and stoically walked forwards to the corner of the classroom where the rubbish bin was placed behind a waist high bar. In order to get a piece of paper out of the bin, he had to lean over the bar. As he did so there was a loud crack as the whip from the professor’s desk made contact with Bradbury’s exposed backside. The student flinched but grabbed his piece of paper and stood up quickly before he got a second stripe. He took the gum out of his mouth and wrapped it in the piece of paper.
“Don’t drop it Bradbury, place it carefully in the bin.”
The student steeled himself, leaned over the bar once more and quickly put his gum into the bin, and duly received a second stripe accompanied by another loud crack from the whip!
“I trust no-one else is chewing gum?” asked the professor in an oily voice. “Very well, we’ll carry on with the lesson.”
Bradbury had made it back to his desk by this time, and although he was trying very hard to hide it, his punishment had hurt much more than just his pride, and his eyes were glistening with suppressed tears. The professor continued his monologue from the textbook as the first years silently left the room.
When they were back in the main school, David turned and gathered them round himself.
“Professor Kaedon is very strict. If you stick with his rules, then you’ll be fine, but he does not tolerate indiscipline in his class. You’ll all get one warning each before he gives you a punishment, and he never loses count! Oh, and I’ve never seen anyone put in the manacles on the wall!”
The new students looked fearfully at each other, before quickly following their prefects. They visited a history lesson and a charms lesson before they went back to the Banqueting Hall for lunch, enjoying the infectiously happy atmosphere of the school. With the possible exception of Bradbury
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