The Detention
The clock on McGonagall’s office wall ticked painfully slow as Vi and Caitlyn sat in stiff wooden chairs, parchment and ink set before them. Vi was already slumped forward, chin resting in her palm, as McGonagall paced back and forth behind her desk.
"You will spend the next two hours copying lines," McGonagall instructed. "I expect them to be legible. No shortcuts. And no talking."
Vi barely resisted the urge to groan. She had been bracing for something more dramatic—scrubbing cauldrons, alphabetizing the entire Transfiguration section of the library, maybe even helping Filch polish the trophies by hand. But this? This was just boring.
Caitlyn, of course, was already dipping her quill into the inkwell, posture perfectly straight as she wrote the first sentence on her parchment.
Vi sighed and finally glanced down at the line they had to copy.
Gryffindor students must exercise restraint and uphold the values of their house with dignity.
Vi muttered under her breath, "Yeah, yeah, dignity and all that."
McGonagall, without even looking up, cleared her throat.
Vi winced and straightened in her chair.
The scratching of quills filled the silence as the minutes dragged on. Every time Vi’s mind started wandering, she glanced over at Caitlyn, who was diligently filling her parchment with neat, perfect letters.
"Do you ever mess up at anything?" Vi whispered, just loud enough for Caitlyn to hear.
Caitlyn didn’t look up. "Yes. I got a nine out of ten on a History of Magic quiz once. It was awful."
Vi stared at her. "You’re messing with me."
Caitlyn finally glanced sideways, smirking.
Before Vi could respond, McGonagall’s sharp voice cut through the room. "Miss Lanes. I believe I said no talking."
Vi snapped her mouth shut and hurriedly wrote another line.
Another twenty minutes passed before Vi started getting restless again. Her hand was cramping, and she was pretty sure her brain had started melting out of her ears.
She carefully nudged Caitlyn’s elbow with her own. Caitlyn didn’t react. Vi nudged her again, this time a little harder.
Caitlyn sighed, still not looking at her. "What?" she whispered.
"I’m dying over here."
Caitlyn rolled her eyes. "You’ve survived worse."
"Debatable," Vi muttered dramatically.
Caitlyn let out an almost imperceptible laugh before quickly composing herself.
McGonagall’s voice cut through the air again. "Miss Lanes."
Vi sat up straight instantly. "Yes, Professor?"
McGonagall finally looked up from her desk, eyes piercing. "You are to copy those lines properly or I will add another hour to your detention."
Vi swallowed. "Yes, Professor."
Caitlyn was definitely smirking as she went back to her own parchment.
With a sigh, Vi resigned herself to silence for the rest of the evening.
By the time McGonagall finally dismissed them, Vi’s fingers ached, and her brain felt fried. As soon as they stepped into the hallway, she let out an exaggerated groan.
"That was torture."
Caitlyn hummed. "I don’t know. It wasn’t that bad."
Vi gaped at her. "Not that bad? Cait, I don’t think I’ll be able to write for a week!" Vi dramatically placed her hand to her heart.
Caitlyn shook her head, amused. "Maybe next time, you’ll think twice before hexing someone in broad daylight."
Vi grinned. "Nah. But I will try harder not to get caught."
Caitlyn sighed. "Why am I not surprised?"
Vi stretched out her arms with a lazy smirk. "Because, Kiramman, you’re finally catching on."
Caitlyn just shook her head as they made their way back toward the common room, their first (but definitely not last) detention officially behind them.