Chapter 156 - Detention with Professor Adric

After dinner, Rowan as usual went to serve detention with Professor Slughorn. She found it to be quite relaxing to do manual labor when her thoughts were a mess. A most useful time to sort one's thoughts.

Knocking on Professor's Slughorn's office door, Rowan waits to be let in. "Is that you, Prince?" Professor Slughorn asked as the sound of his getting up from his desk can be heard inside.

"Yes, Professor," Rowan replied with a bit of a frown.

"Good, good," Professor Slughorn was heard muttering from inside. Pulling the door wide open from behind him his desk can be seen his vast collection of photographs with members of the slug club. On his desk is a canter of crystalized pineapple with a small velvet pouffe peeking out from the edge of his desk.

"You'll be serving the rest of the remainder with Professor Adric as he so kindly volunteered. Miss Prince, you best be going now, I'll let Professor Adric know that you are coming."

"Yes, sir," Rowan unhappily said, before turning back around and heading back upstairs.

After some time, Rowan finally arrived at the second-floor corridor located near the staircase that leads to the first-floor corridor. Knocking just once, a cold voice can be heard from inside saying, "Come in, Miss Prince, don't dawdle now."

Carefully opening the door, Rowan steps inside to see a rather stark office. Despite there being neatly arranged books and artifacts on the shelves and furniture there wasn't much life to the room. Nothing of interest called out nor there was a speck of color beyond the emerald and silver tapestry that hung behind the professor's desk.

Coming to a halt, before Professor Adric, Rowan says, "Professor, what will you have me do?"

"Research," Professor Adric flatly said as he glanced up from his work to stare down his slightly olive nose at her. His dark gaze was just as piercing as ever as he leaned his lean form back into his seat.

"Ah, I see," Rowan said as she glanced about for another desk or writing table to sit at.

Seeing her glance, Professor Adric says, "You may sit in front of me and work, Miss Prince. I won't have you being distracted while my back is turned."

"Yes, sir," Rowan muttered as she took a seat before him and waited to be instructed.

Grabbing a book from the neatly ordered pile before him, Professor Adric says, "Start from page 100, that is where I last left off."

"Thank you, sir," Rowan said as she took the book and found a pot of ink and quill along with a roll of parchment placed before her.

"I expect careful and detailed notes, Miss Prince," Professor Adric coldly further instructed. "And legible too."

Rowan nodded her head as she glanced at the title, The Life and Lies of Salazar Slytherin. Glancing back up at the already engrossed man, Rowan asks, "I don't mean to be rude, professor, but just what am I supposed to be searching for?"

"Anything of interest," Professor Adric sternly said causing Rowan to internally sigh and begin to read and jot down anything that could be considered interesting.

For some time, the only sound that can be heard is the scribbling of quills on parchment and that of pages being turned. The clock on the mantelpiece steadily ticked by as the hands slowly seemed to move. After what seemed like hours, Professor Adric says, "Did you not find the fleeing spiders quite the interesting spectacle, Prince?"

Pausing Rowan glanced up to say, "Professor, that would certainly be quite the sight to see."

"And do you know why?" Professor Adric leaned forward as his piercing eyes seemed to be trying to read her very soul.

"No, sir," Rowan lied with a straight face.

"Apparently there is a creature that spiders fear the most," Professor Adric glanced down to grab a piece of lint off his robes. "A snake."

"That must be some snake," Rowan murmured. "But it does seem to be gone now."

Professor Adric jerks forward with narrowed eyes. "And what makes you say that, Prince?"

Rowan points at the spiderweb in the corner. "Well, there's a spider right there and unless I am mistaken spiders are supposed to flee before this snake. It wouldn't be here otherwise."

Professor Adric glares at the innocent spider toiling away int the corner, before raising his wand and blasting the spider and web away. A slightly burnt smell can be smelled at the scorched stones, but nothing that couldn't be cleaned away. Turning back with a satisfied expression, Professor Adric's eyes dangerously narrow into slits. "I suppose that is the case. But Prince, I can't help wonder if you've ever heard about the Chamber of Secrets."

"I have," Rowan said causing Professor Adric's face to twitch.

"And where was that?" Professor Adric almost hissed with fury.

"Professor Bin's classroom."

"And just what did he say?!"

"And I quote, "Reliable historical sources tell us this much, but these facts have been obscured by the fanciful legend of the Chamber of Secrets. The story goes that Slytherin had built a hidden chamber in the castle, of which the other founders knew nothing.

Slytherin, according to the legend, sealed the Chamber of Secrets so that none would be able to open it until his true heir arrived at the school. The heir alone would be able to unseal the Chamber of Secrets, unleash the horror within, and use it to purge the school of all who were unworthy to study magic, end quote."

"Of course, that is utter nonsense," Rowan scoffed. "Professor Bins explained that Hogwarts has been searched for evidence by many learned witches and wizards. It does not exist. And that it is nothing but a fanciful tale to frighten the gullible. I find myself agreeing with that statement."

Professor Adric is rather silent for a moment, before saying, "You are a rather interesting source of information, Prince."

Glancing over at the time, Professor Adric adds, "Well, it does seem as though our time is up. But Prince, I would waste our precious time and as such, I'll have you serve detention with me during the following Quidditch match."

Rowan's eyes suddenly sparkled as though Christmas had come early this year. "Of course, sir! It shan't be a problem."

Professor Adric seems a bit taken by the response. "You are not cross at missing the match between Slytherin and Gryffindor?"

"I'm fairly certain Gryffindor will win, this year," Rowan honestly remarked. "James is a rather talented chaser and with Longbottom being a better flyer than our present seeker. I have little doubt that we will lose the match in all honesty."

"Ah, yes, I'd forgotten you were on such friendly terms with Gryffindors," Professor Adric said with a sneer.

"Is that all, Professor?" Rowan asked not falling into the obvious trap to raise her ire.

"Yes, that is all, Prince," Professor Adric curtly dismissed her, before glancing down at his notes.

There circled was a paragraph that read, "Of the many fearsome beasts and monsters that roam our land, there is none more curious or more deadly than the Basilisk, known also as the King of Serpents. This snake, which may reach to a gigantic size and live many hundreds of years, is born from a chicken's egg, hatched beneath a toad. Its method of killing are most wondrous, for aside from its deadly and venomous fangs, the Basilisk has a murderous stare, and all who are fixed with the beam of its eye shall suffer instant death. Spiders flee before the Basilisk, for it is there mortal enemy, and the Basilisk flees only from the crowing of the rooster which is fatal to it."

Scoffing, Professor Adric shakes his head, "Mere children tales," before tossing the piece of parchment into the fireplace. If there was a chamber it certainly would no longer have a living basilisk after a thousand years. Shaking his head, he poured himself a drink as he once found himself contemplating on what in merlin's name was his cousin searching for.