Uncertain Obedience (Caira)

[Ethan Lacroix]

It was an odd sensation of nostalgia that crept into Ethan's mind as he stood there. He certainly hadn't expected to miss those experiences. Going to the principals office had always been a negative thing. At least it had in everyone else's eyes and he'd tried to see it that way as well. The only times he'd been sent there he was in trouble after all. But since that trouble had invariably stemmed from his explosive protectiveness over his sister, there had ever been a measure of pride with it, a sense of righteousness commingled with the shame.

Despite the surface similarities between his situation then and where he found himself now, this was quite different. Ethan hadn't a clue what this meeting was to be about. Apparently a house elf had been told to find him and deliver a message. He was impressed with the creature's resourcefulness as it had found him alone in an unused classroom practicing his fencing techniques. Receiving the message and thanking the elf, he set out at once for the sixth floor.

Now here he stood, foil in hand, gazing helplessly at the gargoyle that he was sure hid the entrance to Headmistress LaPointe's office. He knew there was a password, but hadn't the foggiest what it was at that moment. Frowning as he pictured her waiting impatiently behind her desk, drumming those perfect nails, he began running through any feasible possibility in his head. Unfortunately virtually any word or phrase was a feasible possibility, and so after a few flustering moments he leaned around the gargoyle (hoping the thing wouldn't bite him) and knocked quietly on the wall behind it. He immediately knocked again, more forcefully this time, doubting anyone would have heard his first soft rapping.

Ethan looked about quickly, hoping no one would come by. He could just imagine their reaction to find him looking as though he were trying to break into the headmistress' office while holding a sword. He called out hopefully, just for good measure. "Headmistress LaPointe? Ethan Lacroix ma'am. I... can't get in."

[Caira LaPointe]

There was no doubt in her mind that she was ready to appoint a new Hufflepuff Prefect. Sebastien Bellefleur had come and gone in an instant, and she was left with such an opening that could have been fulfilled by any good Samaritan Hufflepuff boy. All factors seemed to have pointed to a one, Ethan Lacroix, a boy who seemed to be going places in life as he had shown the most leadership amongst her candidates, the most bravado in her opinion. Caira LaPointe was a sucker for her school as she had always been. She had been a graduate of Hufflepuff House herself, and felt dedicated to the walls in which she accumulated her magical education. Shadow Wars aside, the business she had with summoning Ethan was important none-the-less. She needed two from each house, boy and girl, to watch over the events that unfolded every day, every night, and report to her. She needed ALL the names of the lightfighters. The few she had uncovered as it was, was simply just not enough. She was positive that Ethan was her student, her man, a vessel of authority which would prove useful to her.

Again, busy with paperwork from the ministry with re-instating Alessandro Darko from his recent reappearance, she was dotting her I's and crossing her T's when she heard a peculiar knocking and distant voice calling to her. Her eyes flitted from the words she had been writing and up to her unused fire place. There, her eyes rested for a moment before she realized the person that she had heard was none other than Ethan Lacroix, future Hufflepuff Prefect. She tilted her head in thought as she wondered: Was no one courteous enough to divulge her password to him before allowing him to come to her? Had no professor been aware of her plans? Surely she had spoken to Alexander Archer, and Gavril Romanov, and even to Thornelius Stockhom of her current plans for the boy, but, they must not have relayed the message as she remembered only summoning the boy via house elf. If it were Garamsythe, she would have included the password for the gargoyle, but she hadn't sent Garamsythe. She had sent Juniper, a house elf she very rarely summoned to do her bidding, for Garamsythe was busy doing other things of more importance.

Standing from behind her desk, and with a nimble wave of her hands, her desk cleared from the clutter it retained, and revealed nothing but a beautiful mahogany desk, with the odd trinket here and there. In truth, the clutter had not really cleared, but it was an illusion she had set for any of the students who came to call, for she was far too busy to really send the contents of her desk into the abyss where everything went when using an Evanesco charm.

Sweeping from behind her desk in regal Sapphire robes, she glided over toward her door, opening it and raising her hands, and speaking the pass code. "Lemon Sherbet." With that, the wall and gargoyle blocking the path of any wanderer was lowered, revealing the form of a young Hufflepuff boy, Ethan Lacroix.

"My dear, the next time you beseech my attention, you may find you should ask a professor for my most current password." She said delicately, finishing with a playful smile. "Please...do come in, we have much to discuss." After speaking that sentence, Caira whipped around and gestured to her most comfortable guest armchair in front of the hearth which had not been ignited, separated by a low tea table, and her own armchair which she used for meetings. As she sat, she crossed her legs and clasped her fingers together in her lap, a pleasant smile upon her face as she regarded Ethan.

"So, Mister Lacroix, I do believe we have some business to discuss."

[Ethan Lacroix]

The relief Ethan felt when the gargoyle and wall gave way to reveal the ever-stunning headmistress was colored a bit by his embarrassment. His cheeks were also colored a bit by it. Having lost himself in memories of his muggle childhood, it hadn't occurred to him until he was there that he even needed the password. He certainly hadn't been cognizant enough to stop by a professor's office and inquire. He had even passed right by the Defense Against the Dark Arts room and Archer's adjoining chambers and now felt quite foolish for not pausing there to ask. He felt that he and Professor Archer got on well. The lessons were always interesting and Ethan had a knack for the subject.

Still, that oversight on his part was neither here nor there, and the smile Caira attached to her playful berating caused his embarrassment to quickly pass. Of course that only left him with a return to the uncertain curiosity as to why he'd been summoned. She seemed not at all cross with him however, so he relaxed for the most part and returned her look with a passive smile of his own. Following her into her office and heading for the chair she indicated, he quietly added "Thank you Headmistress."

Amazed at the comfort of the chair, Ethan nonetheless didn't slouch down comfortably in it, instead sliding his bum all the way back and sitting up straight. His hands rested comfortably on his thighs. All in all his posture and expression hinted at no uncomfortable tension, but merely a somewhat formal respect. Again, not wishing to be rude and finding that he enjoyed the attention of the charismatic woman, he returned her smile, this time with a bit wider grin. Offering a minute shrug, he countered her statement. "Do we, Headmistress? I don't mean to argue ma'am, but I honestly have no idea what this is about."

[Caira LaPointe]

Caira’s eyes followed the boy as he entered her room. Carefully she watched his body language, studying him as she had directed him to the chair. The posture in which Ethan took after sitting in a rather comfortable chair caused the left corner of her lips to quirk up with an intriguing smile. Such a rigid form for such a comfortable chair. Of course, the boy was most definitely trying to put on a more professional appearance instead of one that was exuding laziness and disinterest, or distress, for being in the Headmistresses quarters. His timidity amused her, silently though, she did not let on outwardly that she found the beginning of the meeting humorous. He was completely oblivious as to the reason why he had been summoned, they usually were, and she felt a genuine innocence about him. Perhaps this innocence meant that he was not one of the suspected few who were in league with the light fighters, surely not this boy that she was gazing at with curious eyes. Snapping her fingers once, Garamsythe apparated into the room carrying a large tray with a tea pot and two cups, and a cup full of sugar cubes.

“Thank you, Garamsythe.” Caira’s smiling eyes never left Ethan as she thanked her most faithful house elf for delivering her “pleasantries” as she called them. Garamsythe set the tray down, and began to pour two cups of tea without needing notice to go ahead. He plopped three cubes of sugar in one cup and then stood idly by awaiting further orders. “Do you take sugar with your tea, Mister Lacroix?” She asked, her voice effluent and airy, yet holding her authority. She reached forward and picked up her cup, taking a small sip from it. Whatever Ethan’s response was, the house elf acted on it, either disposing of the tea if he didn’t want any, or adding the correct amount of sugar cubes and handing him the cup.

“So you have no idea why I’ve summoned you?” She took another sip, this time a bit more indulgent in her expression. “My dear, surely you are aware of the openings for Prefect, are you not?” She asked with a slight toss of her head, her loose, brown curls bouncing slightly as they fell backwards behind her shoulders. Her sights lingered on him for a moment longer before setting her cup down, and pulling out a folder with some parchment contained inside, from beside her chair. She opened it and began sifting through the parchment. “Your student file speaks volumes about your character, Mister Lacroix. Such a reserved individual in the classroom setting, never really having any sort of disciplinary issue in your six years with us…A qualified candidate if you ask me. Says here ‘enjoys friendly competition’, always a good thing to have amongst peers, adds character. Lets see further, shall we, has been known to stand up for those at the mercy of nasty bullies….” Her eyes darted from the parchments to Ethan as a very amused grin had splayed itself across her lips.

“Need I go on, Mister Lacroix?” She asked, knowing that she had revealed ample reasons why he would be a good candidate for the position. True, she did not once ask him if he wanted it, more like gave him reasons to accept the title. She closed the folder and set it down on the table in front of them, and pushed it forward if he wanted to take a look to see all of the evaluations and staff notes on the boy through his six years of magical education.

“I’m choosing you, Mister Lacroix, magically selected as one of three top candidates. This will be an opportunity that can and will open many doors for you in life, Ethan, your future. This is not some menial job. This is respect. This is power. This is trust…” As she went on, her tone dropped to a more solid, and less airy nature. She was getting down to business now, and she needed to know that Ethan was her man, or boy, so to speak.

Reaching down and picking up her teacup once more, she brought it to her lips and took another indulgent sip, this one the longest yet. “So my dear…do you accept?”

(ooc: I took a couple liberties based on your char. application. If you find anything unacceptable about the post, don't hesitate to let me know.)

[Ethan Lacroix]

Ethan maintained his smile for a few moments, but began to feel he couldn't keep eye contact with the beautiful woman for long without letting out a boyish giggle. Wishing to avoid that, he instead let his eyes rove the walls and furnishings, nodding ever so slightly to himself. His focus shifted back to her immediately as she snapped her fingers, then to the elf as he appeared. Watching the creature's actions, Ethan looked quite enchanted by the whole proceeding thus far. He'd been introduced to the wizarding world some years ago sure, but being an orphan he had nothing in the way of finances, whether muggle or wizard, and so was not at all accustomed to such finery. It took him a moment to realize he'd been spoken to, but recovered quickly, raising his gaze back to her to answer, but shifting it back to the elf about halfway through. "Please, but just one cube."

Accepting the slightly sweetened tea with a grateful grin, he nodded to the elf. "Thank you." Gesturing very lightly to Caira as he again lifted his eyes back to her, he repeated "Thank you," before taking a light sip. Sipping wasn't really his normal means of drinking, but it seemed uncouth to do otherwise given the setting. Having a bit of tea in his mouth just as she asked her next question, he simply shook his head. A moment later, after her own sip, she gave him a rather large hint. His reply was a slightly hesitant, "Well... yes." A spike of excitement ran through him, but he kept it in check, not wanting to jump to conclusions. Perhaps she just wanted to know if he had any suggestions? He was rather observant, though how precisely she'd know that, he didn't know.

That possibility was washed away by her next set of statements, read from what was apparently his school file. At first Ethan simply nodded along as she read, smiling slightly. When she got to the end however, his ears flushed slightly and his eyes dropped to the tea cup he held in his lap. He didn't really like attention being drawn to his very minor heroics. It caused a small surge of pride and he was always afraid that such things would lead to arrogance of a sort. As a defense he tended to downplay anything he did that he was proud of. A tiny shake of his head was all the response he gave to her rhetorical question if more was needed. He did however pick up the folder to see what exactly had been written when she passed it his way.

Skimming it quickly, he looked back up to her as she started speaking again. Ethan tried vainly to suppress a smile as she announced that she'd chosen him. His eyes drifted back down though as she began describing the benefits of the position. He hardly needed convincing, and so took a moment to read more in depth some of the professors' accounts of his activities. Not really seeming to notice the change in her voice, his ears did perk up at her final description however, and his eyes once more shot up to her. Trust. Trust was something he did want, that so often seemed absent. Ethan believed fully in his own trustworthiness, but getting others to do the same had never been a great ability of his. If this could help with that...

And of course he could also see the benefit when it did come to protecting students from the ill intentions of some of the less personable other students. Now he'd have some measure of authority, and would be able to do more than try to reason or fetch a professor, yet wouldn't have to resort to drawing his wand. And something else occurred to him then. As Ethan understood it, the Prefects of each house patrolled together, or at least had that option. This then would mean a sharp increase in time spent with Caity without having to risk feeling like he was forcing his presence on her. What began as a private smile soon grew into quite the grin.

Closing the folder and setting it back on the table, he straightened even further in the chair. "Absolutely I do. It's an honor. Thank you so much Headmistress. I'll not disappoint you." Though he was quite mild mannered and soft spoken typically, these words he delivered clearly and with supreme confidence, believing utterly in each one of them.

[Caira LaPointe]

"Absolutely I do. It's an honor. Thank you so much Headmistress. I'll not disappoint you."

"Wonderful." Yes, she thought, yes he would be a fine addition to her prefect squad, and hopefully he would be more successful in his endeavors than the rest. Secretly she suspected that the others were in league with the lightfighters, but perhaps maybe this boy in front of her would be more keen on reporting to her regularly about the goings on of the castle. He seemed fairly out of the loop in the sense that he didn't get on with the majority of the students that were under suspicion. That was good for Caira. That meant there was still hope. Hope that she could convince him that there were students out there plotting to take down the school in a maelstrom destruction-- though, it was she and her own cohorts that planned to do such, but in a much more deceiving manner.

"But Ethan...there is something I must request of you as a prefect...and it may sound quite out of the ordinary...but as someone welcomed into my circle of trust, I must ensure that you remain absolutely one hundred percent discreet about our meeting. There are certain things going on within my school, which I'm sure you've noticed...the dementors in the forest, no coincidence I assure you. The ministry is supposed to be under control of such menacing creatures, though, this pack is here on their own accord. There are students here that would wish to see whatever is drawing the dementors here take over. I sense that nothing good will come of this, and the ministry's ambivalence on the matter is daunting...so I turn to my resources. Please, Ethan...I need you to report ANY suspicious activity to me. Gatherings, rumors, anything. These students are very crafty, so please, don't fall victim to their lies." Caira wondered whether or not her approach was too much. She figured the more forward she was about her aim, the less likely he would suspect she was up to something.

[Ethan Lacroix]

Ethan was rather enjoying this meeting. And his tea. He'd always liked the headmistress. She seemed fair and friendly in the way she'd always addressed the school. Now she was making him a prefect, showing him a great level of confidence and trust, The more he thought of all the implications of his new position, the more ecstatic he grew. Justice had ever been a huge value for him, though in recent years he'd come to believe it needed to be tempered with a good amount of mercy and compassion. Now he was in a position to deliver just that.

His irrepressible grin however began to fade as she spoke further, replaced by a concerned and momentarily alarmed expression. Of course he'd heard about the dementors, and given the curfew and increased strictness of the rule that the Forbidden Forest was in fact forbidden, he'd believed them. Still, he'd simply avoided the place, as school rules and common sense dictated he should, and thus hadn't really seen it as great problem. Now though, that he was being told they were there very purposefully and that students were intending to use them to allow darkness to claim the school, he felt foolish for writing it off before. Students!? How could students have such wicked intent? And it sounded as though the dementors would not remain bound to the confines of the forest. He'd have to start learning the patronus charm, and encourage others to do the same. Caity... Would she even be able to conjure a happy memory with the dark pall that had fallen over her? Ethan was suddenly very concerned indeed.

His voice was low and even when he finally spoke, which took a few moments as he processed what Caira had said. "You're right Headmistress, that does sound out of the ordinary. We can't let anything happen to the children here. So many children. They have to be protected. You can count on me Headmistress. But... students? How could students be doing this?" Ethan didn't mean to question how they could have the power to pull something like this off, though that was a bit of a valid point as well. Mainly he couldn't imagine how people so young could be willing to do such evil.